The Compass
by Amarix
Summary: Four teens journey to Middle Earth after the War of the Ring. We all thought our favorite characters would have some peace and quiet, but that isn't the case. Between an evil elf, a sinking castle, life-saving blue cheese, and an overgrown fire-breathing kimodo dragon named Buster, this is a story you have to read to believe.
1. New York

**Here's an edited version with descriptions, y'all. So enjoy!**

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**Hallie - April 20th (The Day of Our Arrival) - New York**

Airplane rides are always boring. Really boring. This particular flight was one of the worst I'd ever been on because it was a red eye flight (our school's really cheap), I couldn't go back to sleep, and I couldn't listen to music. My headphones decided to have a tangle fight and now...well, you know.

I'd brought a book, but I had already read it all - twice. It was getting hot and stuffy in the cabin, and I was feeling super cramped. Liz, by some heavenly means, had managed to fall asleep... on my shoulder. I didn't want to move or wake her, but as we neared New York, my rate of comfort became inversely proportional to how much time I'd spent stuffed in the seat. If you're not a math nerd, that means that I was really, really uncomfortable.

"Attention passengers." The captain's voice came over the loudspeakers. "We will be arriving at LaGuardia Airport shortly. Please return to your seats and fasten your seatbelts."

I sighed. Only a few more minutes until freedom. Sort of. As soon as we get off the plane, I was heading straight for some Advil. The kids in our class are super rowdy, especially when cramped up in small spaces for multiple hours at a time, and it was giving everyone-including me- a headache.

I decided I should try to wake Liz up. It always a while, and if I waited until we landed, would be pretty annoyed. Besides, it would give me something to do.

"Liz, wake up." I shook her shoulder.

"Ugh...five more minutes, Mom," she groaned. I facepalmed.

"Liz, we're landing," I shook her again. My half-asian friend mumbled something incoherent and twisted herself so she was practically entombed in the scratchy airline blanket. I rolled my eyes. If this was the way she wanted to play... well, you know the phrase. Two could play this game. "Elizabeth Callahan. Andrew can see you drooling."

She jerked awake, arms flailing as she tried to keep her balance. Seeing as her extremities were still wrapped in the blanket, it wasn't hard to imagine what was coming next. Thump. Liz fell on the cabin floor, but soon she got herself back into her seat (with her seatbelt on). Her brown eyes scanned the cabin, frantically trying to brush out her tangled dark-brown hair. Then she realized that Andrew wasn't even looking in her direction, and she hadn't even been drooling in the first place anyways. She glared at me. "You are an evil person."

I smirked. "We're landing."

"Oh." She slumped in her seat, blinking groggily. I glanced out the window and saw the city of New York sprawled before me, its inhabitants only just waking. Our class was talking and laughing, and some were just waking up, like Liz. This was going to be one, well... strange week. I mean, a week spent in New York City with your history class, seeing the sites and touring all the major museums? What could be more fun?

The plane landed shortly after, and finally, I was free from the cramped confines of that sardine can the airline had the nerve to call a plane. I breathed deeply in the fresh air and began to walk over to the area Mr. Smith pointed out. Liz collapsed in a chair next to me and yawned.

"Uh-oh, Liz has her 'I would kill the world but I'm too tired' face on."

I looked up to see my friend, Iris Lacour, standing over me, her violin case in one hand and her backpack on her shoulders. Iris had shoulder-length chestnut brown hair and green eyes (which I think our friend Eddy is obsessed with), and is also abnormally short (sort of...she's five feet tall) and shy. But once you get to know her and she opens up... and well, let's just say you don't want to see her hyped up on sugar.

Next to me, Liz groaned and glared at Iris before picking up her worn copy of The Lord of the Rings and flipping to a random page in order to avoid conversation. Why did she bring that book anyways? It's so thick...in fact, I could see her using it as a weapon.

A moment later, I saw Iris wave at someone and glanced up to see our friend Edward Kennedy (Eddy for short) standing in front of the jetway, looking utterly lost and confused. Like me, Eddy has blond hair and blue eyes, but he is at least four inches taller than me and Liz. Right now he's 5 foot 7 inches, but he's still growing.

When he saw Iris' hand, he brightened up a bit and headed in our direction. He flopped down in the chair next to Liz, which earned him a groan as well. Liz is not a morning person. We didn't talk as we waited for the rest of our class to arrive. That's one of the things that I love about my friends. We don't have to be constantly chatting. Mr. Smith finally strode up, guiding some of the stragglers to our spot, and began attendance. I hate attendance. I get all the stuff about liabilities and whatnot, but attendance has always seemed like such a big waste of time to me.

"Hallie McTaggart?"

"Here!" I shouted over the din of my fellow classmates. After attendance was (finally) done, we all piled into another sardine can- this time a bus- for a forty-five minute drive to our hotel in the heart of the Big Apple. Eddy, Iris, Liz, and I sat near each other so we could talk. But we spent most of our time twisting our heads this way and that as our driver pointed out various tourist attractions. Suddenly Liz shrieked, "Oh my gosh!"

We all turned around. "What's wrong, Liz? Are you okay?" asked Iris, ever the empathetic one.

Liz looked at each one of us in turn and then, slowly, said, "The Statue of Liberty isn't on our itinerary."

We had all been looking forward to seeing the Statue of Liberty since we'd heard about this trip. It was one of the major reasons we'd all decided to go. Eddy had told us all stories about the statue in sixth grade (he was a major history nerd), and for a week, we'd all been obsessed. Frantically, we all pulled out our own copies of the itinerary. Please let it be a typo, please please please.

I searched my itinerary. No Statue. I was still staring at my itinerary thirty minutes later when we pulled up in front of the hotel, as if the words I was searching for would mysteriously appear. That was when I noticed that tomorrow afternoon, we would be visiting the Ellis Island. That would be the closest we could get to the statue. As we waited for our bags outside the bus, I formulated a plan in my head...a plan that just might work.

"Alright class!" Mr. Smith struggled to be heard over the chatter of my classmates. "We'll be checking into the hotel now. Each room holds four people, so you'll have to split up into groups of four. All of the same gender, please." Excited chatter sprung up on all sides as people tried to decide who they wanted to room with. Iris, Liz, and I glanced at each other wordlessly. Groups of four meant that we would have to room with someone else we didn't know (or like, for that matter). Too bad we couldn't turn Eddy into a girl...

Finally everyone had figured out their roommates. Our fourth member was a sour-faced girl named Caitlyn, who was obviously annoyed that her friends had kicked her out of their group. I could tell that Liz was trying not to groan out loud. Eddy was rooming with a bunch of nerds like him, so I figured he'd be okay.

Mr. Smith was walking around assigning rooms. "Alright. McTaggart, Callahan, Lacour, and Patterson - you'll be in Room 209."

He handed me two room keys. Caitlyn immediately snatched one away. "I'll take that, thanks." I just shrugged and let her have it. Liz, Iris, and I usually stuck together anyways. Besides - the fact that Caitlyn was taking a room key meant that she was probably going to be off visiting her friends in the other rooms. And that was fine by me.

We dragged our bags into the hotel room, after a long bout of complaining from Caitlyn when she heard that the hotel didn't have working elevators. Honestly - it was only two flights of stairs. The hotel room wasn't as bad as I expected. Two queen-sized beds and a good-sized bathroom. Iris and Liz decided to share a bed, but I immediately declared that I was going to sleep on the floor. I didn't want to share with Caitlyn, and Her Majesty wasn't about to give up the bed.

Soon, we we back out the door again for our first day of sightseeing. We all piled onto the bus again. It had started to rain - I was glad that I had brought my jacket. We drove through the rain for a while before arriving at a Chinese restaurant in Chinatown for lunch. Afterwards, Mr. Smith gave us a little history on Chinatown, and then he let us roam wherever we wanted - as long as we didn't get lost or get into trouble. Eddy joined us and we meandered around for a little while.

"So guys," I took out my itinerary, making sure to keep it under Iris' umbrella.

"Oh no," Eddy groaned. "Nothing good ever comes after those two words."

I sent him a look. "As I was saying...I've been thinking,"

"Oh dear, that's a dangerous pastime," Eddy mumbled.

"Shut up. Anyways, I've been thinking - the Statue of Liberty isn't on our itinerary - but we're going to visit anyways."

Liz raised an eyebrow. "Like...sneak away?"

"Exactly - I didn't endure Eddy's pointless ranting for nothing."

"Hey!" Eddy protested.

"Ellis Island is on the itinerary. We have to take a ferry to get there. There are two stops - one at the Statue, and then one at Ellis Island."

"Oh! So we're going to sneak off the boat when it stops at the Statue? I like this plan." Liz's eyes gleamed with excitement.

"I don't know guys..." Iris looked uncertain.

"Come on, Iris! You've been just as excited to see the Statue as us since Eddy started talking about it!" I tried to convince her that it was a good idea.

"Honestly, I think she's just excited whenever she can hear Eddy's beautiful, melodious voice," Liz muttered, smirking.

Eddy overheard us. "Wow. Just...wow."

Liz and I burst into laughter. Iris just stared at us in confusion while Eddy glared.

"Seriously, guys. It's a great idea!" I was nearly jumping in excitement.

"Wouldn't they notice if we were gone?" Iris was still hesitant.

"They'll just think we missed the stop. When they call our cell phones, we'll just say that we missed the ferry and we'll catch the next one."

"I...guess that would work..."

"Good! The trip is set for 2:00 tomorrow. We have to make sure that we pack our cameras and something to pass the time. I'm not sure at what intervals the ferry comes in."

"Why do I get the feeling that this is going to be a bad idea?" Eddy wondered.

"It's going to to be great!" Liz said, grinning.

"Of course you think that." Eddy mumbled. "You two always come up with "bright" ideas that get us into trouble."

"Come on, Eddy - Carpe Diem!" I grinned. "Oh look! A firecracker store! We should check it out!" I headed in the direction of the store, dragging Liz with me.

"We should just ditch these guys," I heard Eddy mumble to Iris.

"Go ahead - we won't interrupt your date." Liz snickered.

It is always a pleasure to see Eddy's face go livid with rage. "We aren't dating!"

"Kidding, kidding." Liz smirked and opened the door. "Sort of...," she added, quietly so that only I could hear.

After picking out some firecrackers, almost setting the shop on fire, and getting kicked out of the shop (followed by rapid-fire curses in Mandarin), it was time for us to meet up with the group again. We piled back into the bus, tired from our long day out in the big city and lack of sleep (along with jet lag). We arrived at the hotel, where pizza was waiting for us in a meeting room. Once everyone had their fill, Liz, Iris, and I headed back up to our room. I didn't know where Caitlyn was, but since she had her own room key, I figured she'd find her way back to our room eventually. We showered, changed, and relaxed in our beds. (Mine was a large stack of pillows and a couple of blankets stolen from Caitlyn's bed.)

We all quickly fell asleep; however, around 2:00 in the morning, I woke up, thirsty. I stood up and rubbed my eyes, trying to find my way to the bathroom. We'd forgotten to close the curtains before collapsing into bed, so a sliver of moonlight sliced through the room, landing on Caitlyn's empty bed. Wait. I looked again. Caitlyn's bed was made, cool, and empty. I was scared out of my wits that she had wandered off. If she was caught, she would be stuck with us all day tomorrow, therefore ruining our plan. I woke Iris up and then... well, attempted to wake up Liz. It didn't work.

Quietly, Iris and I snuck out into the hall with flashlights, looking to see if Caitlyn was anywhere to be found. We looked around for a while, even knocking on some of the doors of other girls, before I had an idea. Iris and I snuck off to the boy's wing next, and sure enough, we found one room that still had its light on. Wearily, we knocked on the door. One of the kids (I think his name's Aaron...) opened the door in his boxers. I peeked around him while Iris explained our predicament and saw a startled Caitlyn laying on his bed, covered in blankets. Seeing us, she timidly motioned to Aaron, who asked us to give them a minute and closed the door. About half an hour later, Caitlyn walked out of Aaron's room and made the journey with us back to our room.

I hit the pillow and didn't wake up until the alarm went off at 7:30.


	2. The Elvish Ship

**Liz - April 21st - New York (on the way to Liberty Island)**

The cool harbor spray brushed my cheeks. I was leaning on the railing of the ferry. Hallie stood at my side, scanning the horizon. Iris and Eddy were seated on a bench behind us - Eddy was looking a little green.

Hallie and Iris had told me about their late-night (well, early-morning) escapade. I was disgusted with Caitlyn - couldn't she at least wait until we got back to Colorado. Honestly - I had really wanted to punch her in the face this morning, and I couldn't stop glaring at her during our visit to the Empire State Building. It was probably a good thing that Hallie hadn't been able to wake me up. I might have caused a scene.

"There it is!" Hallie shouted excitedly, pointing. I followed her gaze and there she was, Lady Liberty herself. Standing on the ferry, I felt great pride in my country, and I wondered how the immigrants must have felt. I hoped we'd be able to see Ellis Island after our detour.

"Attention passengers. We will be docking at Liberty Island in just a few moments. For anyone who is getting off, please gather all your belongings and carefully move towards the entrance. I ask those who will be continuing to Ellis Island to please move to the side so that the other passengers may get off safely. Have a great day." The Captain's voice died with a click of the receiver.

Around us, people began moving around, calling for their kids and gathering their things. Luckily, there were a lot of people getting off at Liberty Island, so we were able to melt into the crowd. We had made sure to separate from the rest of our class once we got on the boat, or else the we-didn't-make-it-onto-the-boat idea wouldn't work.

When we set foot on Liberty Island and the ferry sped away, we breathed a collective sigh of relief. We had made it! We grabbed a pamphlet on the statue with information about it (most of which we already knew, thanks to Eddy), and snapped pictures. We were in the gift shop when Iris' cell phone rang.

"Hello?" she answered. "Oh, Mr. Smith! I'm so glad you called! Yes, they're with me - they probably couldn't hear their cell phones ring over the noise. We got jostled before we could get onto the ferry so we're waiting for the next one." She paused. "Yes. Alright. We'll meet you there." She hung up. I grinned at her. At first, we were tentative about letting Iris take the call (seriously, she's a pretty bad liar), but then we decided that of all of us, Mr. Smith trusted her the most.

"Great job, Iris." Eddy grinned at her. He seemed happy that everything had turned out well, and nothing bad had happened. "We should probably leave now." We quickly bought our souvenirs, put them in our backpacks, and headed for the docks, where a group of people were already waiting. We were huddled around Iris and her camera, looking through the pictures she had taken. Iris has always been a great photographer. I looked up for a moment, and caught sight of a ship tied to the docks. It definitely wasn't the ferry - no, this ship was carved with great detail. It had majestic purple sails, and was made of white wood - shined, polished, and carved with a beautiful design, full of what looked like branches, leaves, and curves. There were several small, stained glass windows on the bow and a small lantern hanging from the top. It was the most beautiful boat I had ever seen- it looked like something out of a painting.

"Hey guys...aren't boats banned from docking here?" I asked my friends.

"Yeah," Eddy answered, looking up. "Because they don't want - whoa!"

Hallie and Iris both looked up. Their eyes widened in amazement. "Can't anyone see it?" Iris looked around to see if anyone else had the same look on their face. "I mean...it's a giant ship!"

"We should check it out!" I ran towards the ship.

"I don't know, Liz...," Iris (ever the cautious one) protested. "We don't know who the ship belongs to."

"C'mon Iris!" Hallie grabbed Iris' hand. "We're not going to spend a lot of time messing around. Besides, we're still waiting for the ferry."

I hopped onto the boat, followed by Eddy. I stood in the middle of the deck, holding out my arms. "This is great!" I went to the bow and looked down at Hallie and Iris. "Come up here guys! The view is amazing." Indeed, the harbor sparkled in the sunlight and the breeze tickled my skin. I laughed with joy.

Eddy helped Iris and Hallie onto the boat. The minute Hallie set both feet on the deck, the wind suddenly picked up, until there were great gusts of wind and we all had to grab onto something to keep from being blown overboard. Just as quickly, the wind died down. When I could finally stand up again, I looked back to see the Statue of Liberty, so small I could squish it between my fingers, rapidly growing smaller. I looked ahead, and all I saw was open ocean. There was no end. We were speeding across the seas.

"What the heck is going on?" Eddy looked terrified, unable to move from the position he was in. Iris sat next to him, slowly untangling her long brown hair.

"I don't know!" Hallie replied. She had managed to stand, but she still seemed unsteady. Her hair had been blown around her into a blond mess, and I knew that my hair would probably look the same if I hadn't put it into a ponytail.

I just kept looking around me in shock. The New York Harbor was long gone, along with all the buildings and people. Everywhere I looked there was only water, water, and water.

Hallie immediately took charge. "Eddy, go below-deck to scout things out. See if there's a communication system of some sort." He nodded, and shakily got to his feet. "Iris, go with him, we don't want him to puke or anything. Liz, you and I are going to scout around and see how on earth this ship is piloting itself."

Hallie and I scoured the entire deck. There didn't seem to be any other forms of control. No computers, no steering wheel, no paddles, nothing. We just kept sailing along the water.

"Where do you think we're being taken?" I wondered.

"I don't know, but whoever designed this ship but be some kind of mechanical genius." Hallie looked exasperated. "There's nothing that indicates how the ship is moving."

Just then, Eddy and Iris came back up the stairs. "We searched everywhere, but we didn't find any communication systems," Eddy informed us. "There are four bedrooms downstairs, each with a queen-sized bed and bathroom. There's also a kitchen, and it's stocked with food."

"It's like whoever controls this ship was preparing us for a long journey," Iris added.

All of us gulped.

**April 22nd - Who Knows Where**

After an entire day of searching the entire ship, we finally decided that it was hopeless, and we should probably get some sleep before we tried to sort out our puzzle. I had to admit, the beds on the ship were amazingly soft and comfortable.

Of course, I woke up to the lovely (not) sound of vomiting. I went outside to see what was going on, and I found Eddy keeled over the railing of the ship, looking very pale and sickly. He was evidently very sea sick. Iris was next to him, tentatively patting his back. Hallie came up the stairs and saw me.

"Oh good! You're awake," she greeted me. "Eddy's feeling sea sick, so I was trying to find some medicine to help him feel better, but all I could find was some herbs. I'm sure one of them can help, but I definitely don't have a list of herbs and their uses memorized."

We both went into the kitchen, where there was an array of velvet pouches set out on the counter. Different herbs were revealed inside. I examined one bag, labeled "Athelas" and took out a leaf. I took a sniff, but it just smelled...leafy.

"If we don't know what these do, we probably shouldn't mess with them. Eventually, Eddy will empty his stomach, and he won't have anything else to throw up." I rummaged through the cupboards. "Yeesh...I don't know what to give him. Maybe Iris will have a better idea - she has to take care of her siblings all the time when they're sick."

"Good idea." Hallie went back on deck, and a few minutes later, Iris walked into the kitchen. Hallie had probably stayed with Eddy to make sure he didn't accidentally fall overboard or something.

Iris greeted me and went straight for the cupboards. "Usually when my siblings have the stomach flu, I give them a little soda and some crackers to calm down their stomach. I didn't see any soda here, only some clear liquid stuff I think might be wine, but I did find some scone-type things." She took out a small leaf-wrapped package. "It's kind of strange - and I don't know if it's even safe to eat." She frowned at the leaves.

Something clicked in my head. "Here, can I see that?" Iris gave me a strange look but she handed over the package. I unwrapped it, and tore off a small piece of the scone. I put it in my mouth, chewed, and swallowed. It tasted sweet, like honey. Instantly, my hunger vanished. "I know what these are," I declared.

Iris raised an eyebrow. "You do?"

"It's lembas!" I announced gleefully.

Iris blinked. "What?"

"You know, elvish waybread - one small bite can fill a grown man's stomach."

Iris still looked slightly confused, but she said, "Yeah, I know, from Lord of the Rings. But...that doesn't make any sense."

Then, something else fell into place. It was a crazy idea, but it was better than any of us had come up with so far. I grabbed a cup and a bottle of the clear liquid Iris had mentioned, suddenly realizing what it was. "I have an idea," I said, starting up the stairs.

"You do? What?" Iris asked, following me.

"I'll explain after Eddy stops throwing up." Hallie looked up as we came into the sunlight again. Eddy was groaning by the railing. I quickly uncorked the bottle and poured a little liquid into the cup. "Drink this," I ordered. Eddy took the liquid eagerly (obviously thinking it was water), and downed the entire cup in one gulp. It was a good thing I hadn't poured very much into the cup, because Eddy immediately started hacking. I was happy to see that some color had returned to his face, though.

"What is that?! Is that alcohol?"

"It's Miruvor," I told him. I think. I added silently.

"What? What's...whatever you just said?"

"Miruvor is an elvish drink that renews strength and health," I said.

"What?!" Eddy sputtered. "Elvish? Huh? What is going on?" I sighed. Telling my friends my theory was not going to go well with them.

Hallie looked dubiously at me. "Well...whatever it is, it certainly made him feel better."

"So guys," I started. They might lock me away into an asylum when they heard my idea, but I didn't really care. "I found some lembas in the kitchen. And the miruvor and the herbs. And I have an idea. I think this is an elvish ship."

They all looked at me. "I think Liz has finally fallen off the cliff of sanity," Eddy said slowly. Iris and Hallie nodded in agreement.

"I think you've read Lord of the Rings one time more than you should have." Iris asked, raising an eyebrow.

"No, I'm serious! It makes sense - the fact that the ship is piloting itself, the food and drink, the herbs - everything fits together."

All my friends seemed to want to protest, but they realized that there really wasn't any other logical answer. Not that this answer was really logical at all.

"So, let's say that this is an elvish ship," Hallie said. "Where is it taking us, then?"

I looked out across the seas. There was nothing but ocean- endless, beautifully annoying ocean for miles. We had no way of telling which direction we were going. We could be headed to the Arctic for all I knew. I glanced at each person, all anxiously staring at me, relying on my knowledge of a book series to save their lives. Sighing, I said, "I have no idea."


	3. The Endless Blue

**Here's the third chapter. Just a heads up- when the dates don't have a name next to them, it's the same person writing. When the text is written in **_italics_**, then the character is writing in their journal. **

**So... enjoy and review! Thank you!**

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**Eddy - April 25th - Somewhere in the Middle of the Ocean**

_I have been stuck on a boat for- what?- three and a half days now with three girls. I would call them insane, except... well, let's just call them insane. Yesterday was spent with Hallie ordering us around, gathering inventory and such. Based on Liz' calculations for lembas and Miruvor, we should have enough food to survive for about a month, maybe more. We're kind of iffy on that because, well, they're Liz' calculations. Based on a book series._

_We emptied out a bottle of Miruvor yesterday (thank goodness this ship has a bathroom), dropped a note in it, and threw it overboard. Well, we tried. There's some kind of magic force field surrounding the ship that won't let us throw anything out (we have the magical trash cans for that), but it also won't let anything in. Which is good. . . because I did some calculations of my own._

_1 knot is about 1.15 miles per hour. Say we were knocked off our feet for 2 minutes. We were out in open ocean in those two minutes. . . which means we traveled at least 12 miles. In two minutes! That's 6 miles per minute, or 360 miles per hour. Or 312. 48 knots. As far as I know, the fastest boat in the world can only go 317 miles per hour. Doing that constantly puts both strain on the boat and its passengers. If we didn't have this force field, our boat would be torn to shreds._

I glanced up from my journal and through the porthole in my cabin to the outside world. The ocean outside was surprisingly calm today... and so was the boat. Which, of course, made me immediately suspicious. I closed the journal and stuffed it back in my backpack. I headed to the galley first, because I figured if Hallie was as bored as I was, she'd be in there, taking inventory again or something. No one was there. I was just about to head upstairs when I tripped over something and fell headfirst... into a hole.

I landed on a pile of soft blankets, luckily. When my eyes adjusted to the dark of the hull, I saw rows and rows more of supplies that I'd never seen before. It all makes sense now, I thought, smiling. More inventory. And clothes. That was why they were so quiet. I was just about to try to climb up out of the pit again (so I wouldn't have to help with more lists) when I heard a shriek behind me.

"Eddy! You've emerged from your cabin! Nice to see you again! Come check out what we found!" Iris shouted, smiling. I turned around, expecting to see a list shoved in my face, but instead, I saw Iris, wearing a light emerald green dress. It... she... uh... looked really pretty. She grabbed my hand, and dragged me back around to a different part of the storage area.

Liz and Hallie were also wearing dresses, standing and looking in a mirror. Liz had a navy blue satin dress on- also floor length- and Hallie was wearing a flowy, white dress.

"Where'd you guys get the clothing- and why dresses?" I asked, still slightly stunned by the sight of my three best friends in dresses. Especially since Liz loathes dresses. But... as they say... desperate times call for desperate measures.

"Iris tripped and this hatch popped up- so we came down to take a look around, and we found some clothes," Hallie said, "The only problem is- there are only dresses. But somehow they all managed to fit perfectly. It was like they were made for us."

"There's some clothes we think might be for you over there," Iris said, pointing. We'd all been in the same clothes continuously for four days- and I really wanted to change. So I walked in the direction in which Iris pointed.

Suddenly, I reached down and held something up. "It can't... It can't be..." I muttered. I whipped around and stormed back to where the girls were waiting. "Seriously?" I yelled.

"TIGHTS?"

**April 26th - Somewhere, Out There, Over the Rainbow**

_Thankfully, there was only one pair of - uh - particularly tight pants. And according to Liz, those were only for ceremonial wear. Not that we'll be going to any ceremonies anytime soon. Well, we've been at sea for at least 4 and a half days now-so- more math: if my calculations are correct and we're still traveling at the same speeds, we've traveled 38,880 miles from New York. We should have seen land by now. Unless, of course, we skipped over all of Europe and Asia overnight. . . in which case. . . we should see land soon._

_Where are we going?_

**April 29th - 25,920 miles later (still no land)**

_I don't think my calculations were correct. But who cares? I sure don't._

_I have been stuck. On this boat. With three girls. For- I don't even know anymore- um, eight days. We've read our books, looked at the maps, completed every worksheet and we've done inventory again- twice. Iris started experimenting with some herbs in our pantry and made a weird but delicious dinner. Liz is finishing her Lord of the Rings trilogy- for the tenth time- and is trying to find any clues as to what boat we're on or even where we're headed. Hallie's been trying to keep us on our toes with puzzles and riddles and games but we all gave up after a couple days. I've walked up and down the ship a thousand times. There's nothing more to do. Endless days of nothing._

How much longer until we reach our destination? Wherever that is. . .

I heard a knock on the door. "Come in," I said. Iris came in. I still can't get over how good she looks in her dress...ahem.

"Hey," she said, smiling. "Iris and Hallie found another hidden hatch."

I groaned. "More clothes, I'm guessing?" A lot of the clothes that we had found were dresses, although some of them were obviously for men. There was no way I was going to wear any of that though. I'll stick with the pants, thank you very much. Iris had tried to do some laundry, but it hadn't worked out so well.

Iris grinned. "Nope. I think you might actually like what we found this time."

I followed her out the door. Liz's voice floated up the corridor. "This is so cool! There's such great detail on these!"

I looked at Iris, raising an eyebrow. "I thought you said they didn't find more clothes."

Her eyes twinkled. "You'll see."

I turned the corner and saw (horror of horrors!) Liz brandishing two curved daggers. Hallie was holding a sword, and looked too comfortable with it for my liking. Seeing us, she grinned. Other various weapons were scattered around them.

"Eddy! We thought you'd like this. We found some weapons - elvish made, so they're top-notch. Try one for yourself."

"We also found some more travel-friendly clothing," Liz added. "Thank goodness."

"Iris, you can pick a weapon too!" Hallie beckoned us.

Iris looked hesitant. "I don't know...I'm not much of a fighter."

"Well, just take this dagger then." Liz handed her a small knife. "Just in case we get attacked or something."

"In the middle of an ocean?" I asked incredulously, picking up a bow, with leaves carved in gold on the dark wood. It felt good in my hand.

Liz shrugged. "You never know. Even if nothing happens out here, who knows what'll be waiting for us when we get to the Land of the Unknown." We decided to call our final destination "the Land of the Unknown", because it got tedious saying "Wherever we're going" all the time. "Anyways," Liz continued. "Learning how to use these will help us pass the time."

Liz had looked through the pile until she found a set of daggers she liked. They were curved, with a black and silver handle, with elvish writing carved onto the blade. Hallie's sword had a blue handle, and it was very well balanced.

Luckily, there was plenty of equipment for us to practice on. Targets, dummies, etc. Since Iris wasn't too excited about fighting, she decided to search around the rest of the secret chamber. She found several books on fighting techniques, and we practiced those for the rest of the day.

That night, after another of Iris' lembas-herb dinners, we all sat out on the deck, looking at the stars. I was staring up at the sky when suddenly I got this strange feeling that we were heading east. "We're heading east," I whispered, not willing to destroy the peace that surrounded us.

Hallie turned her head and looked at me curiously. She'd found a scabbard for her sword, and since then, the blade hadn't left her side. "How do you know?" she inquired.

I shrugged. "I just got this...weird feeling. I don't know how to explain it.

Hallie snorted. "Well, that's helpful. And it's not like we can do anything about it anyways."

I guess you're right," I said, sighing.


	4. Doubts

**So, I forgot to mention this, but I am co-writing this story with my friend. She doesn't have a fanfiction account, so the story is on mine.**

**Disclaimer: We don't own LotR (although we wish we did), but we do own all OCs, Shadewalkers, and original places.**

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**Iris - May 8th - Middle of the Ocean, going East (at least...according to Eddy)**

_We've been on this ship for about 14 days. Well, as long as time doesn't pass by faster on this ship. Everyone's getting tired of lembas and herbs, but there isn't anything else. Lembas isn't all that bad, and it's very filling, but it definitely gets old. Liz has finally decided that we're heading towards somewhere in Middle Earth. It makes sense, but the thought is kind of scary. Orcs, goblins, dragons and all that. If we really are going to Middle Earth, I wonder what time period we'll be in...I hope we don't show up right in the middle of a war or something..._

I put down my journal, having nothing to write about anymore. I picked up a book on medicine that I had found, and started where I had left off. I had decided that reading it was probably a good thing, because we had all those unknown herbs in the kitchen that I had no idea what to do with them. When I found it, I had been surprised to see that it was written in English.

The book had a lot of detailed pictures, and everything was very well organized. I had found out the uses for a lot of herbs, although I hoped we would never have to use any of it. Athelas is used for people when they get stabbed. The book also had some incantations written in it. I hadn't tried any of them, even though they probably wouldn't work.

Liz walked into the room. I was sitting in the kitchen, by the window, using the sunlight to read. "Reading again?" She smiled. "I'm not sure I'd trust you to heal me if I was hurt, but I guess you'd be better than Hallie or Eddy."

I laughed. "Eddy would probably be so stressed he'd accidentally mess up."

Liz looked over my shoulder to see my book. "Hey, I wonder what that says," she said, pointing to an incantation for bringing up stamina.

I scrunched my eyebrows together. "You can't read it?" I could understand the words just fine.

"Well, duh, it's not even written in English!"

I was confused, but decided not to say anything, fearing for my sanity. Being on the ship for so long must have started taking it's toll on me. "Nevermind. So, did you need me for something?"

"Not really, I just wanted to catch up with you. It seems like we haven't talked in such a long time."

I smiled, a little sadly. "Yeah, well, you guys are always so busy with training and all that."

"Yeah, sorry about that. But we can talk now." Liz grinned. Then something mischievous glinted in her eyes. "So...what's going on between you and Eddy?"

I felt my face get red. I blush so easily, and to such a degree of red it's embarrassing. "N-nothing."

"Come on, Iris! You can tell me! I can see it on your face anyways."

I sighed. "There's nothing going on between us, but...I think I kinda like him."

Liz half-squealed. "I knew it!"

I could feel my face burning. "I don't think he likes me back though. I thought he might like Hallie or even you, but not me."

"Psh. Don't be silly. He totally likes you back," Liz said, rolling her eyes.

I wasn't so sure. "Yeah right."

"Trust me on this one - you two are meant to be."

"Who's meant to be?" As if he had been called, Eddy suddenly walked in. My face felt like an inferno now...

"Oh...um...we were talking about...ehm..," I stumbled for words.

"It's none of your business, Eddy. Girl stuff," Liz cut in. "Did you need something?"

"I was looking for Iris."

Liz elbowed me and winked. "I'll leave you two then. Have fun!" She whisked out of the room, leaving me alone... with Eddy. A position that hadn't been awkward yesterday suddenly was the one place I'd rather not be. And now Liz knew... and soon, so would Hallie. How awkward was dinner going to be from now on? Very, very awkward.

I was lost in my thoughts and didn't notice that Eddy was rambling until he poked me to get my attention. "I've got a cut on my upper arm- Hallie got me during fencing- and since you've been stuck up in here for a couple of days reading those books about herbs and medicines... well, I figured I trusted you the most to treat it..." he finished pathetically.

I simply nodded and headed off to the hull's secret compartment (we called it Area 51) to gather some of the healing herbs we'd found there, including Athelas (for stab wounds) and headed back to my cabin, where Eddy was sitting on the bed, waiting.

I don't think my face has ever been that red in my life. I could have been diagnosed as a tomato and sold at a supermarket- that's how red my face was. Luckily, I managed to correctly treat his arm while he rambled on and on about something related to World War Two fighter planes.

Just as I was finishing up, Hallie bounded around the corner, a big smile on her face and her sword strapped to her side. She stopped short when she saw Eddy was still in the room. "Oh, sorry... don't want to interrupt the *ahem* moment here. Are you okay, Eddy? Sorry I stabbed you."

"Oh- it's okay, Hallie. I've got Iris to fix me right up."

Code 109: Face Inflammation. I tried to start out the door to wash up some of my tools, but Hallie grabbed my pile from me. "I'll take care of this stuff, Iris. Hot water and lye, right?"

I nodded and with that she was off, down the hall... with my only excuse to escape. I didn't have anything else to do, and Eddy and I both knew it. So I was left in the most awkward situation of my life, with no escape route. Suddenly, I heard Eddy get up behind me. He poked me again, and I turned around. We were really close. _Okay, _I thought, _when did one of my best friends become... uh... this?_

"You've been really quiet all day, Iris. Everything okay?"

Aw, Eddy and his concern. As much as I liked having friends who cared about me, I really, really just wanted him to go away right now. "You know me... sometimes I'm just quiet. Maybe it's being stuck on this stupid boat, in the middle of nowhere, that's got me all frustrated."

"You know, there's no such thing as the middle of nowhere, because wherever you are, you're always somewhere, so if we're anywhere, it would have to be the middle of somewhere, wouldn't it?" Hallie confused us all sometimes when she said things like that. I was still pondering the exact meaning of the phrase when I realized that she had interjected on my and Eddy's conversation... the little eavesdropper.

"Well, then- as Iris was saying, it's really annoying to be stuck on a boat, in the middle of _somewhere_, heading to the Land of the Unknown, which is somewhere in Middle Earth!" Eddy yelled back.

"It is, really," I said, closing my door a little so Hallie couldn't eavesdrop again. "It's annoying not to know where we're going or where we are. It's annoying not to be able to call our families and it's annoying not to know what day it is. And another thing- it's annoying that we don't know why we were abducted, why we're here, and who wants us." I paused. I was really frustrated.

"Well, I'm sure we'll find all of that out eventually."

I wished we would. I wished Eddy was right and that we'd find it all out eventually. But we wouldn't. I didn't know how everyone else could be so optimistic and I was the only one who could really see reality.

"We're not," I said, decisively. "We're not going to find that out, ever. Open your eyes, Eddy. We only have about four days of food left, and there's no land in sight. Sure, we've got those stupid swords and these stupid books- but that's it. You want to know what really happened? We illegally got on a Lord of the Rings reenactment boat that was illegally parked on an island we weren't even supposed to be on. This whole thing was our mistake, and now we're going to die for it."

I stormed out of the room. I was so done with this. This ship, these clothes, the weapons, the books, and the food. I climbed up onto the deck and watched as the ship practically flew over the water, guiding itself towards nothing. I sank down onto the wood and started crying. I was never going to see land again, never going to see my family, nothing. And it was all because my friends had talked me into seeing the Statue of Liberty. All of this, just because we wanted a picture. A picture. One you could find online with the click of a button. I hated it. I hated them. Why couldn't it all just go away?

Why did this have to happen to me?


	5. Rivendell

**So. The moment you've all be waiting for has finally arrived! I am so excited for this! Thank you to everyone who's reviewed- keep it up!**

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**Hallie - May 11th - Off the coast of somewhere (not sure where due to recent developments)**

I stood at the bow of the ship, staring out into the blue. I was so tired of all the blue. It was misty outside, so we were all wearing cloaks today. Iris had been locked in her cabin since she blew up three days ago. She really only came out for meals and to use the bathroom, and when she did, her face was red and puffy from crying. We all tried to comfort her (especially Eddy- he felt bad), but she shoved us away at every turn.

I was kind of sick of the glum moods below deck, so I excused myself from practice early today (something I haven't done since we found Area 52- the other secret compartment), and came up here on the deck. I climbed up the ropes and found my way to the crow's nest, where I now sat, tracing the patterns on the blade of my sword and staring off into the distance. Every so often I heard Liz or Eddy shouting something below deck. Occasionally one of them would come out and try to coax me into coming down. Not happening, I thought.

Suddenly, off in the mist, a shadow appeared. It looked like... no, it couldn't possibly be... land. I stared at it for a long moment until I could just make out the shadows of mountains, the darker shadows of hills and cliffs, and what looked like a river. I was so amazed by what I was seeing that for a second, I couldn't move, and then, before I could really think about what was happening, I was flying down the ropes and running below deck.

I stopped at Iris' room first, since I knew that if the sight of land would make a difference for anyone, it would be her. I knocked on the door. "Go away." Her voice floated out.

"Iris... I know you're hurting right now, but I have something exciting to tell you. There's land on the horizon!"

I heard the lock on her door click and saw before me, for the first time in a couple of days, my friend Iris. She looked... hopeful, for the first time since we'd stepped on this boat. She looked me in the eye. "Really? Because if this is just a ploy to get me to come out, I will kill you."

"Really. I saw it myself. We just have to go get Eddy and Liz real quick. Come on."

We ran down the hall and down the steps to Area 52, where Eddy and Liz were practicing dagger throwing. As soon as they heard the pounding of our feet behind them, they whipped around. When they saw Iris, both of their faces lit up. "Guys, I saw land," I said, grinning. "It looks like we'll be there tomorrow."

We all ran up the stairs and out onto the deck. I showed them where the land was, and though it was kind of hard to see, it was definitely there. Iris and Liz started jumping up and down and they grabbed each other for a big hug.

Dinner that night was so much fun. We couldn't stop talking about the land. The mountains, the trees, the hills... Every so often, one of us would run up there to check, to make sure that the land was still there. No matter how many times we checked, it never disappeared. We didn't care that we might be stopping in orc-infested territory - we just wanted to get off the stinkin' boat.

I lay down in my fluffy and comfortable bed that night, all my clothes and supplies packed into a bag we'd found in Area 51. All of us were packed and ready, weapons, herbs, books and all. I stared up at my ceiling and dreamed of what it would be like to sleep on a bed that was anchored on solid earth.

That was the best night's sleep I've ever had.

**May 12th - 101 Rivendell, Middle Earth (send me a postcard)**

I woke up the next morning- really early. I sat up in bed and thought, Today's the day. I grabbed my supplies and made a quick stop in the galley to grab some lembas before heading up top. I dropped my things on the deck and let the early morning breeze and sunrise wake me. That was when I noticed that we were in a river. With land on both sides.

Some of the trees stretched so far over the water that I could reach up and pluck a leaf off them. I savored the feeling of the leaf between my fingertips, and the smell of pine and oak trees... the smell of the forest. The smell of earth. The smell of land.

Eddy was the next one up. Like me, he'd grabbed his supplies and a piece of lembas and headed straight up top to see the land. And like me, he was just as amazed to see the land that stretched as far as we could imagine. Iris came up soon after, and she immediately gravitated towards Eddy. Leaving them in peace, I checked through my bag one last time to make sure I had everything I needed- including my sword and a pair of daggers. While I was checking my bag, Liz wandered up from below. She groggily rubbed her eyes and almost started to head back downstairs when a leaf landed on her head. She plucked it out of her hair and stared at it with wide eyes. Then she ran back down the stairs and came up dressed and ready, with a piece of lembas in her mouth and the leaf in her hand.

We traveled up the river all until the sun was reaching its apex (so, around 11:00). Then we began to see a valley, and in that valley, a bay, and near that bay... a city. But this was no ordinary city. In fact, it was far from ordinary. Waterfalls ran throughout the city's white structures. It looked like... Rivendell, and the look on Liz' face confirmed my suspicions. Our boat steered masterfully into the bay and pulled up to a dock. We all looked at each other for a second and then ran around, grabbing our things and hopping off the boat. Liz, Eddy and I were all on the dock when I looked up and saw Iris still standing on the boat. She gave it one last glance and then, hesitantly, she dropped onto the dock.

As soon as her fingers left the boat, it sped away. Astonished, we watched our ride, our only hope of ever getting home, leave us and go... well, who knows where. There we stood, elvish backpacks on our shoulders, weapons at our sides. We faced the empty dock and open bay.

"Well, I guess we should start up the hill to the city. Maybe someone can help us," I said.

I turned around and faced a pair of unbelievably large gates. I really didn't know gates could be that tall. Or that intricately carved. Standing in front of the gates was a pair of elves. Now, I don't know if you realized this, but elves are really tall. So... naturally, I felt very short. But I walked up to them and said, "Hi. Um... we just arrived here by way of kidnapping in one of your magical boats... so, if you don't mind, we'd like to talk to someone who might help us to understand what's going on and how we could get home."

The elves looked as us, confused. "Um...do they even know English?" I muttered to Liz.

"Not sure... the book is obviously written in English, but I don't know if they can actually speak it in real life," she answered.

The elves said something we couldn't understand, although it didn't sound friendly. Now we were the ones who probably looked really confused. Except for Iris, whose face did not mirror ours.

"Um...they think we're spies...," she said. How on earth did she know that?

"How...exactly do you know that?" Eddy looked awed, but creeped out at the same time.

"I don't know really..." The elves started shouting something else. Great. Shouting elves. How the the wonderful start to my day get any worse? I looked over at Iris.

"Can you understand what they're saying?"

"Yeah, they're telling us to tell them what we're doing here or they're going to attack."

I thought for a moment. If only they could somehow understand us... or did they? "Can you talk to them?" I asked, hoping... maybe if Iris could speak in Elvish, she could get us out of this mess.

"Um... I don't know. But I'll try." She turned to the elves and cleared her throat (it's the universal symbol for: I'm going to talk now). "We don't know how we got here, but we just need some help." They looked at her blankly.

"Well, that didn't work," Eddy said unhelpfully. (Eddy says a lot of things unnecessarily or unhelpfully, if you haven't noticed.)

The elves suddenly had a little "conference". I couldn't understand what they were saying, and they were speaking too quietly for Iris to hear, but I did catch one word. "Arwen".

After a few minutes, two figures came down to the gate, surrounded by an entourage of guards. Arwen Undomiel (well, I assumed that's who she was) was dressed more casually than I thought she would be. She wore a simple grey dress and her brown hair was long about her shoulders. The guards bowed as she passed. Beside her was a man, wearing a black vest with a white tree emblazoned on the chest. No. Way. Holy. Cow.

"No way," Eddy half-choked. "That can't be..."

The guards, still kneeling, shouted something else at us. "They're telling us to kneel!" Iris translated. We immediately dropped on one knee, bowing our heads.

"Rise, travelers," Arwen said. My first thought? She can speak English! Thank goodness... My second thought? She has such a pretty voice.

Eddy's mouth opened and closed, making him look like a dumb fish. "You're Arwen! And you're Aragorn!"

We all adopted the "dumb fish" look. Outwardly, I said, "No. Stinkin'. Way." My tone was partly sarcastic, and partly disbelieving. My inner fangirl screamed, OH MY GOSH. IT'S ARAGORN.

Both Aragorn and Arwen stared at us like we were crazy, and I could see why. We were all staring dumbly. Liz looked like she was going to faint and Iris' eyes were as large as dinner plates. Eddy was breathing really hard, trying not to freak out. And me... well, if I hadn't had my sense about me, I might have run up to them and gave them huge hugs. Of course, you couldn't do that to a king and queen who've never met you. Especially when they're surrounded by guards. Elvish guards too.

So... in short, we all stood there for a second, staring at each other. Arwen, Aragorn, Liz, Eddy, Iris, the guards, and I. It was like... the most epic staring contest I've ever had in my life. Finally, Aragorn asked, "Who are you? And where did you come from?"

Well, mister, I thought. We were kidnapped by one of your magical elvish boats when we were taking pictures of the Statue of Liberty- which, by the way, we weren't even supposed to see. We traveled for 21 days and nights across the ocean and arrived here today. As soon as we stepped off the boat, it disappeared. How's that for an epic trilogy?

But instead, seeing as everyone else was dumbstruck by the sight of two of the main characters from the book series we all adored, I said, "We came here- well, actually by what we thought was an elvish ship. We were stuck on the ship, and we couldn't get off. As soon as we arrived, it sped off. We don't know why we're here. We've been traveling for 21 days and... well, we don't know how to get home."

Everyone looked at us blankly. Please let them believe me, I thought. Please. Arwen and Aragorn whispered to each other for a few seconds. Then Aragorn nodded. "You may stay. It is obvious that you have been brought here for a reason. Welcome to Rivendell."

We all let out a huge sigh of relief. Arwen said something to the guards and they opened the gates for us. Even though everyone else was entranced by Rivendell, Aragorn's words kept playing over and over in my mind. You have been brought here for a reason. What reason? What reason could anyone possibly have for bringing us to Middle Earth? And whose idea was it, anyway? I really wanted someone to answer my questions, but it was pretty clear that Arwen and Aragorn knew about as much about our arrival as we did, maybe even less. As we climbed the stone steps, Liz made small talk with Aragorn and Arwen, obviously trying to figure out exactly when we'd arrived.

We arrived at a white marble palace. The halls were lined with flowers and plants of all kinds. It was the most beautiful place I'd ever seen. Some elves led us off to our rooms, where we stashed our supplies. I kept my sword by my side, though, as Liz, Iris, Eddy, and I met up again and explored Rivendell. Whenever we saw an elf walk by, Eddy... kind of... well, he squeaked. It was really funny. We saw the library and the Hall of the Council of Elrond. We saw the stone pedestal on which Frodo had laid the Ring. Eddy ran up and touched it. And then he almost fainted.

"Ever since my father left for the Grey Havens, few elves have been here. The age of the elves is over, I'm afraid, and soon all of us will have passed on into the Havens," Arwen explained. She didn't seem sad that she would not be going to the Grey Havens herself. It just went to show you how much she loved Aragorn.

Soon it was very late. We expected a feast or something, but I guess since we weren't any visitors of importance, we didn't get a feast. Sadness. Ah well, real food was better than lembas at least. We headed to our designated rooms. We actually got our own rooms, and they were ten times as nice as the ones on board the ship.

I was about to leave the dining hall, when I felt a hand on my shoulder. I turned, thinking it would be one of my friends, but it was Aragorn. It took all my willpower not to gape like a fangirl (Insert high-pitched squeal here). Don't get me wrong - Aragorn is over 87 and married...but he doesn't look it. (cough).

"I'm sorry if I seem too intruding, but I couldn't help but notice the sword you carry."

I glanced down, remembering my sword. I took it out of the scabbard, carefully handing it to him. He grabbed the blade and examined the elvish writing engraved on the metal. "Where did you get this blade?"

"I found it on our ship."

"Were there any other swords?" His questions seemed a little strange, but I was happy to answer them.

"Yes, but I felt...drawn to this one somehow." Oh goodness...I sounded like such an idiot!

"Interesting." He handed my sword back to me. "I have once heard that the sword chooses its wielder. The writing inscribed on the blade calls the sword Elyon. You are destined to be a great warrior - use it well."

"I will." Had Aragorn just said that I was destined to be a great warrior?

Aragorn smiled slightly at me, and suddenly, a thought seemed to occur to him. "Tomorrow, I'm training some soldiers in close-range fighting. Would you like to join us? It would be a shame if you didn't know how to use such a fine sword."

I couldn't believe it. Aragorn was going to train me in sword fighting? No way! "I-I would like that, sir."

He smiled. "Good. I'll see you tomorrow morning then." He bowed and walked back towards his wife.

I went all the way back to my room in a daze. Aragorn is going to train me! Oh my gosh, this is so awesome! I quickly put on an elvish nightgown and jumped onto the fluffy mattress, muffling my squeal in the pillow.

**May 13th (I think. Do they tell dates differently here?) - Rivendell Training Ground**s

I had nearly fallen out of bed that morning in my excitement. New clothes had been put out for me, and they were really soft and light. Perfect for training, I thought, though I'd never properly trained before, so I wouldn't know. There were new leather boots that were made so that they were sturdy and durable, but extremely comfortable as well. I had to ask for directions to the training grounds, and the elf who had helped me looked very confused- like he didn't know what a short girl would be doing at the training grounds. Nevertheless, I was able to make it to the grounds in on time.

A lot of elves were already there, and I felt so...short. And insignificant. How must Iris have felt in their presence? I unsheathed Elyon and started with some warm-up exercises that I had learned on the ship.

"Not bad," a voice sounded behind me. "Your form is very good. Did you teach yourself?"

I turned around and saw none other than Aragorn. "I learned a little from instruction manuals."

"Well, you must have practiced a lot. Now, these men are much more advanced than you, so after don't be frustrated if you don't get the move on the first try. I'll have someone come to help you later on."

He went to what I assumed was the front of the arena and pulled out Andúril- forged from the shards of Narsil. The legendary sword of kings. "We're going to practice the art of the doubl'e (doo-blay) today. In its most basic form, the doubl'e is a counterparry in which the swordsman moves his blade in the same direction of his opponent's. It is a very effective counterparry, and I've used it many times on the battlefield."

Aragorn gave a demonstration of the doubl'e and then set us up to try it on our own. We were set up against dummies first- and after a few tries, I felt like I had mastered the doubl'e, but who really knows, since the dummy's sword never moved? Others must have felt the same way as I, because before long, Aragorn told us to pair up to duel. I was paired with an elf who was probably on the short end of elf heights, but was still at least 5' 8"- that's 5 inches taller than me. Why did I have to be so short?

Wordlessly, the elf began to attack me. At first, I was a little nervous (given he's an elf, in an advanced swordplay class, taught by Aragorn), but soon I was able to see the holes in his attacks and effectively counter them... and I even gained. The match was fairly short, and the elf ended up without a blade, mine pointed at his neck. I lowered my blade and gave him the chance to gather his sword (and his wits). We were soon at battle again.

Again and again, our blades met, and again and again, he lost our duels. Aragorn returned to the front of the room and demonstrated another move in the doubl'e sequence, this one a little harder than the last. After the demonstration, we went straight to duels. This time, though, I was paired with a really tall elf, who was very lean and muscular. If you've ever seen Disney's Beauty and the Beast, just picture Gaston... as an elf. Okay, maybe not as muscular as Gaston, but you get the idea. The arrogance was the same, though I wiped the smirk off his face very soon.

As big and strong as he was, I soon found out that my blade outmatched his in speed, which ultimately gave me the upper hand. Each time the "Gaston" character tried a new move on me, I made up a new move of my own to effectively counter his. I was winning my duels more quickly than ever.

The fifth time I'd beaten "Gaston", I noticed a crowd had developed around us. Aragorn came up to me. "You didn't say you were an advanced fighter," he said.

"I'm not," I replied.

He decided to pair me up with someone else. An elf named Amdir. I beat him with little trouble. Aragorn seemed a little confused, but paired me up with another. And another. And another. I just kept beating them.

"Well, since none of my men seem to be able to beat you, I guess we'll have to give you a better partner." He turned around to the crowd and said, "Carry on now." The elves immediately dispersed.

"Um...who is my partner going to be?" I asked.

"Me," Aragorn answered simply, and swung into a strike quicker than I could blink.

My body reacted more quickly than my brain, bringing my blade up to block Aragorn's strike just in the nick of time. What the heck? I hadn't seen that one coming. But now that I knew we were involved in a duel, I let my reflexes and intuition take over. I countered his strikes and he countered mine and for a while we were involved in a standoff until I noticed a pattern in his strikes. Moving my blade down slightly, and to the left, I let his sword fall longer than it should have - it almost scraped my leg. At the last second, I pulled my sword up and twirled it around his, bending his wrist and giving me an opening. Luckily, I had enough strength to stop my blade before it hit him, but he understood immediately what could have happened. As he dropped his sword, his eyes widened in shock. I honestly think it had been quite a while since anyone had even come close to beating him in a duel. He stepped back and held up his hand to me. The entire city, it seemed, fell silent. And then Aragorn smiled, and I felt like the tension had lifted. I couldn't believe it. Had I just defeated Aragorn, son of Arathorn, High King of the Reunited Kingdom?

Practice ended early that day. As we were cleaning our swords (because apparently it's some sort of ritual), Aragorn came up to me. "I thought you'd said that you were a beginner," he said.

"I am," I replied, "I just started learning swordplay from the manuals on our ship."

Aragorn looked puzzled. I mean, I was a little puzzled myself. Either everyone had been going really easy on me to make me feel like I was really good, or somehow I had just defeated every student in Aragorn's advanced elvish fencing class. And Aragorn himself, of course.

****What was going on? Who was I and what was happening to me?

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**Thank you for reading. Please review!**


	6. Day of Wonder

**Hey, everyone! Sorry for taking such a long time to upload. My cohort and I were having internet troubles. By the way- there isn't any compass in the story (at least, not yet) so the title is merely symbolic of the journey the four of them are taking. The four points on the compass represent the four friends. Interesting, no?**

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**Liz - May 13th - Rivendell (OH MY GOSH WE'RE IN MIDDLE EARTH!)**

_So, we're in Middle Earth now..I can't believe it. So many strange things have happened in these past few days. We got taken to Middle Earth, we met Arwen and Aragorn, and on top of that, Iris revealed her strange knowledge of the Elvish languages. The shyest girl in the entire class became a linguist? Who would have guessed?_

_For the first time in a month, I'm alone. Hallie went off to train with Aragorn (I hope she doesn't hurt herself...), Eddy went exploring the moment he woke up, and Iris went - well, I actually don't know where Iris went._

_So here I am, sitting in my room in Rivendell with nothing but my journal and my beat-up copy of The Lord of the Rings to keep me company. Speaking of which, I probably shouldn't let anyone in Middle Earth see my book, but I did find out that we have arrived just about 4 years after Elrond, Gandalf, Frodo, and the others left for the Grey Havens._

_I wonder why we're here. Why we, of all people, were chosen to be here._

_"Well," I said into the empty room. "This is a lonely existence." I decided to go outside. Even if there was no one around, it would still be nice to enjoy the scenery, sunlight, and fresh air. Plus, this was Middle Earth. Might as well enjoy it while I can._

I walked down a flight of stairs, thinking deep thoughts. Yesterday, I had been giddy, but now...I wasn't so sure what our visit really meant. I was walking when I heard two voices, one which sounded like Iris'. I turned the corner and was about to call out her name, when I saw her with a dark-haired elf.

"These flowers are so amazing!" I heard Iris squeal. She was always one for the flowers.

"I'm glad you like them. They're called Niphredil here, and they only blossom when a person or matter of great importance comes to Rivendell. So you must be pretty important, Iris."

"Important? Me? Wow, that's one hefty complement, Raordel!"

"Well, it's true!"

I listened from behind the column as Iris and "Raordell" flirted. I'm pretty sure Iris would kill me if she ever found out I was awkwardly listening to her flirt. And whatever happened to Iris liking Eddy? I decided to leave them alone; watching them was super awkward. I turned to go, and ran straight into a column.

"Ow!" I exclaimed, then froze. If Iris knew I had been eavesdropping...

Iris climbed up the stairs, holding the skirt of her lavender dress up so she didn't trip. "Liz?" Iris asked, looking straight at me. I sighed, prepared to confess, Iris muttered, "That's funny...I could have sworn I heard someone say something...," before turning back to Raordell.

What? She couldn't see me? What was going on? Raordell and Iris soon walked off, with me still confused about what was going on. I looked at my hands. They looked perfectly fine to me.

"Hey, Liz!" I turned to see Eddy running up the stairs. Well, obviously, he could see me... "This place is so great! I think I've explored almost every inch of this place."

"Good for you," I said blandly. Thanks for ditching me, I added silently.

He seemed too cheerful to notice my tone. "Hey, have you seen Iris?"

"Oh yeah, she's with some elf named Raordell," I answered carelessly.

"What sort of elf?"

"He was kind of flirting with her, and he gave her flowers and everything. It was kind of cute."

"Oh...I guess I should leave her alone then..." Eddy looked dejected.

I realized what I had just said. "Hey, don't worry, you'll win her affections in the end." I smirked.

His face turned red with either anger or embarrassment. Probably both. "I don't know what you're talking about."

I rolled my eyes. "Whatever you say."

Eddy turned around to look over the balcony, out into the distance. I turned to leave - obviously he wasn't going to talk to me. Suddenly, he said, "Wow, Hallie's pretty good at sword fighting. A bunch of elves just got their butts kicked by her!"

"What? Where?" I walked over to where Eddy was standing and looked out.

"Right there! I can see them clearly! They're really close!" I squinted, but still couldn't see anything. "Holy crap! Hallie just beat Aragorn!"

"What?" Now I was really confused. "I don't see either of them anywhere!"

Eddy looked at me. "How can you not see them? Am I just going crazy?"

"I don't know..." I was extremely confused. How could Eddy see something I can't? Unless he has some crazy eyesight ability. Wait...what's up with his eyes? Eddy's eyes were extremely dilated. I couldn't see the blue of his irises anymore.

"Hey, Eddy," I started, getting his attention.

"Yeah?" He looked at me, then quickly looked back to whatever he was observing. In that moment however, I saw that his eyes looked perfectly normal.

"I'm, uh, going to go find Hallie," I said. I must have imagined what I saw...

"Sure," Eddy replied, without really paying attention to what I was saying. He didn't even notice when I left.

**Eddy - May 13th - Rivendell (I still can't believe we met ARAGORN)**

On my first morning in Middle Earth, I ran around like a madman. Okay, you probably think I'm crazy. But first of all, I've been stuck on a ship for almost a month, and second of all, Rivendell is beautiful. And I know that sounds like a sappy, girly thing to say, but no one could come here and not think it's beautiful. The architecture is amazing. I would have spend a lot of time in the library, reading up on the history of this place, but it was all in elvish. I should ask Iris to translate for me. She seems to have a natural ability to read elvish. Which is pretty cool, if you ask me.

I explored the entire place, from the gardens to the armory. I wanted to go for a swim in the clear water, but I realized that messing up my new elvish clothing wasn't such a great idea. I decided that I wanted to learn as much about this place as possible, so I went to look for Iris.

I didn't find Iris, but I did find Liz. She was looking at her hands. What, did she chip a nail or something?

"Hey, Liz!" I shouted, running up the stairs. "This place is so great! I think I've explored almost every inch of this place."

"Good for you," she replied. She seemed to be distracted by something, but I knew that she hated it when people were nosy, so I didn't say anything.

"Hey, have you seen Iris?" I asked.

"Oh yeah, she's with some elf named Raordell," she answered. Raordell? Who's that? I had a horrible thought that she might be...um...on a date with this elf or something, but I shook the thought away.

"What sort of elf?"

"He was kind of flirting with her, and he gave her flowers and everything. It was kind of cute." What? I wanted to punch the guy for trying to flirt with Iris. He didn't know her as well as I did. He probably just liked her for her looks, and wouldn't appreciate her for who she is.

"Oh...I guess I should leave her alone then..." What was I thinking? It's not up to me to decide who Iris likes...and I'm too chicken to ask her out myself. She deserves someone better.

"Hey, don't worry, you'll win her affections in the end." Liz smirked at me.

I felt my face go red. Not as red as Iris' could get (she looks so cute when she blushes), but close. Seriously, had Liz just read my thoughts or something? "I don't know what you're talking about."

She rolled her eyes. "Whatever you say."

I turned to look out onto Rivendell from a different angle. There was a line of trees directly in my line of vision. I strained my eyes to see if I could see any wildlife there. I suddenly found the perfect angle and saw a group of elves surrounding a blond girl who was sparring with each of them in turn. As I watched, the girl's current sparring partner lost his balance and fell to the ground with her sword pointed at his throat. Another elf came up to challenge her and she easily beat him too. Was that Hallie? I assumed so. No elves could be that short. "Wow, Hallie's pretty good at sword fighting. A bunch of elves just got their butts kicked by her!" I said to Liz.

"What? Where?" She walked over and looked out. She looked extremely confused.

"Right there!" I pointed. "I can see them clearly! They're really close!" Suddenly things got very interesting. Aragorn himself challenge Hallie to a sparring match. They exchanged blows before Hallie suddenly caught him by surprise and left him with her blade inches from his skin. "Holy crap! Hallie just beat Aragorn!"

"What? I don't see either of them anywhere!" Liz seemed extremely confused.

I looked at her. "How can you not see them? Am I just going crazy?"

"I don't know..." Hm...strange. I hoped I wasn't going crazy.

"Hey, Eddy," Liz started.

"Yeah?" I turned quickly to look at her, and turned back around. I realized I had lost my angle of vision, but I soon found it again. I watched as everyone cleaned up their swords. I couldn't see the detail on the swords clearly, but I knew that Hallie's sword was way cooler. What did she say the name was? Elyon, right. I was so captivated that didn't I realize Liz had said something to me.

"Sure," I replied. That was always a safe answer, right? I watched them until I got bored, and when I turned around, Liz was gone. Huh. How had she left so quietly? Although, I really hadn't been paying attention...

I shrugged, turning back around to see if the elves were doing anything interesting, but I couldn't see them anymore. I tried to regain my angle, but all I could see were trees.

"I could have sworn I just saw them!"

"You have the gift of sight," a voice said behind me. Well, thank you, mysterious voice, I thought. You have just answered all of my questions. Slowly, so I didn't freak out if I saw another Lord of the Rings main character, I turned around and came face to face with a young-ish elf. He had white-blonde hair, like a flash of lightning, and wore it long about his shoulders. His eyes were a startling green, almost as green as trees in summer. We stared at each other for a second and then he cleared his throat.

"You... if you could see to the sword clearing... you have the gift of sight. It's... uh...well, you can basically see really well - even through sight charms like invisibility!" He seemed pretty proud, and it struck me that he must have the gift of "sight" as well.

"Uh... cool. My name is Edward. You can call me Eddy."

He stared at my extended hand strangely and it took me a second to realize that they probably didn't shake hands here. Awkwardly, I lowered it. "So... what's your name?"

He looked up, as if he was startled that I was still talking to him, and smiled. "My name is Haldir." I almost fell off the balcony, right then and there. The only Haldir I knew about died during the battle at Helm's Deep. So I was seeing ghosts now? Great. "My parents named me after Haldir of Haladin, because of the tales of his skill in battle. Unfortunately, I haven't quite lived up to their standards." Okay...I've never heard of that guy...but that makes more sense.

Trying to keep the awkward conversation going, I said, "So, how exactly does this sight thing work? Do I have to do something...er...special to turn it on?"

"I'm not sure I'm the one to teach you...," Haldir said uncertainly.

"Are there other...um...people with the sight here?"

"Unfortunately, no," Haldir said ruefully. "There are more in Mirkwood, but I've never been able to go there." I guessed that Haldir had never stepped foot out of Rivendell, for whatever reason. I was actually quite surprised that I could understand him, honestly...

"Well, I would appreciate it if you could tell me what you know. It would be nice to know more about my...uh...ability."

Haldir looked slightly uncomfortable, but he agreed to teach me a little. He looked off into the forest, and when he turned to me, his pupils were dilated. Kinda creepy, actually... "You turn on your enhanced vision by blinking three times." I tried it- I blinked three times in a row, really quickly, and then, I saw the clearing again. Hallie was cleaning her sword and looked like she was deep in thought.

"Hey, it works! How come I was able to see before without blinking though?"

"When you're first learning how to use it, the sight can be faulty, and turn on and off. But you'll figure it out eventually."

I chanced it and moved my eyes, looking to see if I could find Iris.

I saw her with little difficulty, obviously flirting with some guy I assumed to be Raordell. I could tell that she was really into him by her body language. I grimaced. This dude was so not cool, making my (Ack! That was not supposed to be there.) Iris go for him like that... he was obviously just looking for a physical relationship. He turned so he was slightly facing me, and for a second, I glimpsed a different face- not the Mr. Tall, Dark, and Handsome I knew Iris would be raving about later. This face was twisted and scarred- a dangerous kind of rugged I will never forget. What? How could Iris like a guy like that? I continued to glare and then lost my "sight". Suddenly the trees were blocking my way again and I could no longer see Iris.

"Oh, and if you get too emotional or worked up, it doesn't really work," Haldir said. He had apparently noticed my anger towards Raordell.

"So, um, what else can I do with my sight?"

"Well, most seers are archers, because they can see far and aim true. I'm not one of the best archers, but I'm not a failure."

"Could you teach me?"

"Well, I was thinking that maybe my father should help you. He's not a seer, but I can kind of help you with that part of it. My father's a much better archer."

"Sounds good," I grinned at my new-found friend (I think?). "When do we start?"

**Iris - May 13th - Rivendell**

On the boat the last couple of days, I was a complete wreck. I missed my family, my friends, my world, and my life. But ever since we've arrived in Rivendell, I've found a renewed sense of hope. I honestly think that perhaps some of that has to do with Raordell. I met him this morning, when I was observing some flowers (I've never seen any of these species). Raordell came by and told me about some of the flowers; their names and such. He was so nice and charming. Hallie would probably have described him as Mr. Tall, Dark, and Handsome...and I totally agree. Except I would add "perfect"into the mix.

Raordell started telling me some history. Normally, I would have been bored to tears (as I usually am when Eddy starts ranting), but Raordell made it sound interesting. Perhaps it was the effect that his dazzling eyes had on my brain.

Somehow, he managed to pick a huge bunch of snowdrops for me without me noticing. I wondered how he did it, but the flowers were so pretty that I didn't even notice.

"These flowers are so amazing!" I squealed, putting the flowers up to my nose.

"I'm glad you like them. They're called Niphredil here, and they only blossom when a person or matter of great importance comes to Rivendell. So you must be pretty important, Iris."

"Important? Me? Wow, that's one hefty complement, Raordel!"

"Well, it's true!"

Suddenly I heard a bang behind me and then someone said, "Ow!" That voice... sounded a lot like Liz. If she'd been spying on me...

I told Raordell to wait a second and climbed up the steps. "Liz..." I started as I turned the corner. But there wasn't anyone there. Nothing but columns and more flowers. Weird. My mind must have been playing tricks on me. "That's funny...I could have sworn I heard someone say something..." I walked back to where Raordell, who was now holding a bouquet of lilacs, was standing. "Sorry... I thought I heard one of my friends, but no one was there... Lilacs! Those are the biggest lilacs I have ever seen!"

Raordell and I walked around, talking for a little bit about the flowers, Rivendell, and life in general. We were sitting on a marble bench deeper on the garden when he wrapped his arm around me, and I leaned into him a little. Suddenly I got this feeling on the back of my neck... like I was being watched. I dismissed it quickly.

Soon, I realized that it was late, and my friends were probably wondering where I was. I had spent a whole day with Raordell. It was almost like being in love...forgetting what you're doing for an entire day, and then realizing that you spent it with the most amazing person. Not that I'm saying I'm in love with Raordell, but...he's a nice guy...and I'm certainly getting a response from him, unlike anything that ever happened between me and Eddy. I swear, if our chemistry was the key to saving the world... the world would die.

I walked back to my rooms. There was some food set out for me - goodness, I even missed dinner! I realized I hadn't seen my friends at all...I hoped they didn't feel insulted...

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**Happy May 13th, everyone! Review, please! By the way, the snowdrop sentence is weird here... so if it's weird where you're reading... not my fault.**


	7. Misunderstanding

**A/N: Hey! Nice to see y'all again! Thank you to all of the people who reviewed. (There were two of them. Pearl Bramble of Willowbottom and LalaithElerrina. Thanks also to daddys number 1 girl for favoriting.) We appreciate the support!**

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**May 14th - Rivendell Garden**

I sat in the garden, going through my herbal textbook. The garden was peaceful, and it was also nice to be able to see the actual plant as I was reading about it.

"I didn't know you were interested in healing," a soft voice said to me in elvish. To my surprise, it was Arwen.

"Well, everyone is learning how to fight, so I figured I should learn how to heal, Lady Arwen," I answered.

"An honorable choice. You care deeply for your friends." Arwen sat down on the bench beside me. "May I ask you a question?"

"Of course, Lady Arwen,"

"Oh, no need for the formalities. No one is here but us. Tell me, Iris, how did you come to learn the elvish tongue?"

I looked at my book, where a spell to heal broken bones was located. "I don't know...I just read this book and realized that I could read the spells. I didn't even know they weren't written in my own language at first. And then when I came here, I realized I could understand elvish, even though I couldn't speak it."

Arwen looked at me. "You four are an interesting group," she said, "but it is you who interests me most of all. And though you can learn much from that book, I think it would do you good to study under a true healer." She paused. "Would you like to be my apprentice?"

I was taken aback. Arwen... was asking me... me... to be her apprentice? When I had finally gathered my thoughts, I managed to say, "Um, yes, yes please! I'd love that!"

Arwen rose and nodded, showing that I was to follow her. We left the gardens and went to the infirmary in Rivendell. The sweet aroma of herbs overwhelmed me as I walked into the door. There were shelves and racks of all kinds built into the walls of the main cavern, a space that was taller than most of the buildings on Rivendell and honestly, more green than white. Elves were milling around, carrying herbs here and there or grabbing tools to help them set broken bones, etc.

Arwen led me to a separate room and showed me to a seat. It was there we began my training.

I was a fast learner, according to Arwen, and by the time people were sitting down to dinner, I had already learned the uses of about 25 herbs. I learned how to use them for healing or killing (although I hope I never have to do that).

Aragorn, Hallie, Liz, Eddy, and two other elves were in the dining hall when we entered. It was a small crowd, but there was a comfortable atmosphere. We started eating the food, and conversation buzzed around the room. Musicians played music softly in the background (I should see if I can play sometime), and servants bustled around, refilling cups and wiping up Eddy's spilled water.

Aragorn and Hallie were deep in conversation about sword-techniques, and Eddy was talking with a young elf and his father about something to do with archery and eyes. Liz...well, I didn't know what Liz was doing, but I was too caught up in my conversation with Arwen to worry about Liz. I was sure she was talking to Hallie or something.

"You have great potential," Arwen said to me, making me glow with happiness. "I am considering the possibility of training you in the art of casting spells. Herbs have their uses, but spells can work long-range."

"What kind of spells?" I wondered, hoping they wouldn't be dangerous.

"Spells can do many things. They can harm or heal, just like herbs. The difference is that they are quicker to use than herbs, and more powerful. If someone were to be in a near-death situation, a powerful spell-caster would have a better chance of keeping that person alive."

"I'd like to be able to do that...but would I be powerful enough?" It was hard to imagine that I could have so much power. I mean, I'm really just that shy, quiet girl who sits in the back corner of the classroom. No power there.

"I believe so. I sense great power within you. And you have an affinity for the elvish language. This will make spell-casting possible for you, unlike your other friends. I will teach you how to speak the elvish language - I believe you will learn very quickly, and afterwards, you will be able to learn how to cast spells." It sounded so...wonderful that I could hardly believe it. Here was something I was good at, and it was totally unique to me. Hallie had her sword fighting, Eddy had his archery, and Liz had her...wait, does Liz have any special abilities?

"Hey, Liz, do you..." I trailed off. Liz was gone from her seat. Huh...she left? Maybe she wasn't feeling well or something. I didn't really think much about it. I was too excited about the prospect of becoming someone to admire. Especially if I was admirable to Raordell. Wait until he heard that I might be powerful enough to do spells!

After dinner, I walked around, admiring the sunset. I thought Colorado sunsets were pretty, but sunsets in Rivendell are gorgeous. There are so many different colors in the sky that the sky looked like a rainbow. I stood on a balcony, watching the colors move and change, and then I felt a tap on my shoulder. I turned around to see Eddy. I smiled at him, and he stood next to me, watching the sunset. We didn't say a word, but that was okay. We didn't need to fill the silence... it was just comfortable that way. I noticed, though, that the familiar tingle I got whenever Eddy was around had... disappeared. Oh well. Eddy wouldn't have ever returned my feelings anyway.

Suddenly Hallie was there too. "Hey, guys, have you seen Liz?"

"No," Eddy and I both answered.

"She's probably in her room. I'm going to get her. She has to see this sunset!" Hallie ran off, and came back a few minutes later, dragging Liz with her.

"Hey, the gang's all here!" Eddy said, grinning.

"Oh my gosh, guys," Hallie started excitedly. "Aragorn says that he's going to personally coach me in sword-fighting. He says that I have really great potential and I'm one of the best fighters he's ever seen! Apparently my blade-handling is amazing."

"That's so cool, Hallie!" Eddy said. Liz and I echoed our sentiments, although Liz didn't sound as excited for Hallie as the rest of us did. I brushed it off. She was in one of her moods again.

"What about the rest of you guys? What's been going on with you?" Hallie asked.

"Well, I met this guy, Haldir," Eddy said. "Apparently, I'm a seer of some sort, meaning that I have really good vision - and I can even see through illusions. Haldir's father says that he'd be happy to teach me how to use my skills for archery."

"Looks like you have a new friend," Hallie said, smiling. "And that sounds great! I'm sure you'll do well."

"Yeah, Eddy. I'm not sure I'd be able to trust you enough to shoot an apple off my head, though," I joked.

"Well, we may just have to improve that trust," Eddy replied softly.

"Oh, I trust you Eddy! Just not your aim," I said, trying to sound reassuring.

"Well, maybe you could come out and see how well I'm doing sometime... that is, if you're not too busy with Raordell."

"How'd you know about Raordell?" Eddy was a nice guy, but he could be a little overprotective sometimes.

"Liz told me about him," Eddy answered tersely.

I whirled around. "How did you know about Raordell?"

"I just happened to stumble across you guys when you were talking," Liz explained.

"You were eavesdropping?" I glared at Liz.

"It's not my fault you guys were standing in plain sight!" Liz said, exasperated.

We glared at each other. Hallie looked a little confused... obviously, she was the only one who hadn't heard about Raordell. I figured that if it was just going to be out in the open, I might as well explain my side of the story before someone else did.

"Raordell is an elf I met the other day. He's really nice..." I faltered. Did I say how I felt about him?

Liz snorted. "Yeah, I can tell. Giving you flowers and all."

I narrowed my eyes suspiciously. "I really did hear you the other day, didn't I? You were spying on us!"

"I was not! I was just walking up the stairs, and I happened to see you guys. You can't blame me for being curious," Liz defended herself.

"And when we left, I bet you followed us," I shot back.

"I did not! And you would have seen me!"

"I didn't see you before!"

"Well...I hid behind a column."

"Aha! So you were spying, and you even tried to hide from me!"

"I didn't mean to spy on you!" Liz grumbled in frustration. "You know what, if you have some problem with my...presence or something, maybe I should leave." She stormed off. I just glared at her back.

"You know...she probably didn't really mean it," Hallie said uncomfortably.

"I know. But she doesn't have to be all sarcastic about everything! Just because her love life didn't work out very well doesn't mean mine can't!"

"Oh, so you're in love now?" Eddy grumbled.

"Yeah, maybe I am!" I shouted. "And it's none of your business anyway, Edward! You don't have to be all protective and stuff. I'm not your girlfriend!" I folded my arms and stared out at the horizon.

"Hey, guys...cool down," Hallie tried to calm us down. I turned on her.

"Just because you're all amazing at everything doesn't mean you get to be 'leader' or whatever!" I shouted. "You stay out of this!"

"Whoa, I didn't say I wanted to be leader. I just think that you guys should calm down and think about what you're saying! Come on guys! You've been friends for so long, don't let something like...some guy get between you!"

I sighed, realizing that she was right. "Look, I'm sorry, alright? But honestly, why do you care so much about my relationship with Raordell?"

I watched Eddy's face get red. "You know what, forget it. Date whoever you want. See if I care." He stalked off in the opposite direction Liz had gone.

"Ugh! Of all the selfish, stupid, idiotic...argh!" Why did guys have to be so stupid and complex. They were never straightforward with anything. Speaking of which, I suppose a guy would say the same thing about girls.

"Listen Iris... Eddy's just worried about you. You know, after what happened with Tommy last year." I glowered at being reminded of my ex-boyfriend. I had really liked him, and we had dated, but then he accused me of cheating on him, with Eddy of all people.

"I think I learned my lesson," I said coldly. "I can look out for myself."

I walked back to my rooms, still fuming. Eddy had no right to act like the way he was. I needed a few days off without seeing him. At least my lessons with Arwen would keep me busy. Everyone would be busy, and for once, I was grateful for the distractions.

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**Review, please? **


	8. Trailing and Trickery

**Hi again! How's life with y'all? Good? I'm super excited right now. You know why? The Hobbit Part 2: The Desolation of Smaug trailer just came out (yeah, I know... 5 days ago, but still). So life continues in the world of Fanfiction. **

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**Hallie - May 17th - Rivendell (It almost feels like I'm being caught in the middle of a war...)**

_It's been a couple of days since the group had our big fight. Iris and Eddy, once so close, haven't talked at all, and Liz... well, Liz just sulks around the entire time. I don't understand it. I thought she'd be the most excited about being here._

_I decided to let this whole fiasco just work itself out. It always does. So, I'm focused on my training... which, by the way, is going amazingly. Aragorn is training me each day, and I've learned so much. I've already beaten him a couple of times, but he took revenge for that first battle a couple of times as well._

_It's nice to have something to distract me from the trouble going on between my friends. I know that Iris and Eddy both feel guilty, but neither of them is willing to admit that they were wrong. They can be so stubborn sometimes..._

_I wonder how things are going back home. Did everyone freak out when we didn't show up on Ellis Island? Or did time just stop in the real world? I'm starting to miss home, but being here is so amazing that I'm not sure I could go back to the dull world of being a teenager._

I adjusted my position in the tree. My muscles were sore from all the constant training, but the soreness was starting to go away.

"Hallie!" I peered down through the branches to see Aragorn walking through the garden. Ugh. I guess it was time for more training. Not that training was bad, but I kind of wished that I could have just one day off. I hadn't talked to my friends in a long while. I guess if I asked, Aragorn would probably let me have a day off, but every time I make up my mind to ask, Aragorn introduces something new for me to work on and I totally forget about taking a break. I'm also afraid that Aragorn is going to go back to Gondor, so I'm trying to learn as much as I can. We were currently working with daggers, and I was doing pretty well, although I preferred the excitement of a duel - when I told him that, Aragorn admitted that he did, too, but "every warrior has to learn plenty of different fighting styles".

"Hallie!" I closed my journal and stashed it in a hole in my tree along with the pen and ink I stole from my room. I slid down the tree carefully and quietly. My agility and endurance were getting better too. Aragorn was turned away from me, looking in the other direction. I snuck up quickly behind him.

"Hi, Aragorn." He whipped around and smiled when he saw it was me. "So, what are we going to work on today?"

"I was going to have you work on stealth..."

"Sounds great! Where do we start?"

Aragorn suddenly looked somewhat uncomfortable. My smile faded. "Um... is everything okay?"

"Well," he said, "for a lesson like this I usually have my apprentices spy on some of their friends or family... but..."

Oh. Suddenly I realized what was going on. "You heard the big fight a couple of days ago, didn't you?" I sighed. Practically everyone in Rivendell had either heard it or heard about it.

"Yes, I did. Are your friends mending their relationships?"

I sighed. "Not really. They're all so stubborn, and I haven't seen Liz in a while, so I don't know about her."

"Well, how about you find out what she's doing right now?"

I was a little hesitant. "I don't know..."

"Just go talk to her. I am sure that she would appreciate the company. Consider it your assignment for the day."

"Alright... thank you," I appreciated the fact that Aragorn knew that friendships were important. He was amazing in general, really - kind and understanding, yet he radiated this...aura of power and authority. I knew that he would be a good father someday.

I left the garden and headed to Liz' room. When I arrived, I knocked on the door. No answer. I remembered that our rooms were connected by the balcony, so I ran around to my room and out onto the balcony. I walked slowly and quietly over to the wall that separated her room from mine. I peeked around the corner. There she was, furiously writing something in her journal. She was probably ranting about something or another. Good - that meant that she was getting over the fight. Hopefully we'd all be friends again and all would be well with the world.

I was debating whether or not to go talk to her. Aragorn had told me that I needed to talk with her, but she was also deep in thought now, and she hated it when people interrupted her thought process. I quickly looked around, to see if anyone was there. If anyone saw me, they'd probably ask me what I was doing, and Liz would know that I was spying on her. That wouldn't help anything. So I just stood there. When I looked back into the room, she was gone! What? She had just "poofed" out of existence. I blinked, and suddenly, she was sitting at the foot of her bed, right where she had been just a few minutes ago. I must have...imagined it or something.

I watched her write, erase, write, pause, think, erase, pause, write again, etc. I thought I was going insane when she kept flickering like a projection while I was watching her. I got an inkling of an idea. What if Liz could somehow manipulate...something (I couldn't really figure out what) that made her invisible? I had thought it was kind of strange that she didn't seem to have any sort of special ability, like the rest of this, and I had a feeling that that might be it. Either that, or I was going crazy.

Finally, I decided to leave her alone. I figured she'd get over her mood eventually... she always does. So I went to go see if I could find Iris, and perhaps learn more about this Raordell fellow she and Eddy had gotten in a fight over.

I found her sitting in the gardens with a Mr. Tall, Dark, and Handsome I assumed had to be Raordell. She was holding a bunch of flowers and leaning into his chest as he wrapped his arm around her. They were whispering softly to one another, and, cursing myself for doing so, I moved closer to hear. If Iris found me spying...well...she would pull even farther away.

"You are so beautiful, Iris," said Raordell, stroking her hair. Seriously? She was falling for that?

Iris smiled. "Thank you. You're pretty awesome yourself, you know."

Raordell half-smirked. "Why thank you. How are your friends doing? I'd like to meet them sometime, you know. If this is going to continue."

"Well... they're all doing okay, I guess. We had a big fight a couple of days ago... and I really haven't seen them since then. But I'm pretty sure Hallie is still training with Aragorn, Eddy's training in archery, and Liz... well, she just disappears a lot."

Raordell took this is quietly. "I'm sure everyone will come around sooner or later. I heard a little about the fight... and I think that you shouldn't have to back down. You're right on everything you said."

I was surprised. Any normal person- or at least most of the normal people I'd met- would have told Iris to go talk to her friends, just like Aragorn told me. Told her to apologize, at least. Was Raordell trying to keep us apart?

I looked back at the "happy couple". Iris had leaned back into his chest and her eyes were closed. Raordell was still stroking her hair. A few minutes later, I heard Iris' breathing change a little... she was asleep. Raordell got up, leaned her against a bench, and walked away. Trusting my instincts, I decided to follow him.

He stopped at the archery center first, where Eddy was practicing. Eddy took aim with his bow and fired, one, two, and three shots... all three landed on the bullseye. Wow. I hadn't known Eddy was that good. Now that I thought about, we hadn't spent much time in our group since we got here. I mean, being stuck together for 21 days on a boat can be pretty taxing. But not enough that we all needed to split and not talk to each other for the next week!

I was so distracted in my own thoughts that I almost missed Raordell walking away. I took one last look at Eddy and followed Raordell. He went to the sword fighting arena next. That was where I was supposed to be, but instead, only Aragorn was in the arena. He was throwing daggers at a target. Of course, he nailed it each time. Part of me wanted to run back into the arena and go into a duel with Aragorn or throw daggers at the dummies. But I knew that I couldn't. Aragorn had said that I should focus on all aspects of warrior training, and that didn't just include fighting. So I stayed in the trees and watched Raordell as he stared the clearing for a few minutes. Slowly I realized that Raordell was waiting for me to appear. Suddenly Raordell looked up at the sun and took off. I followed him until he arrived near our rooms, assuming that he was spying on Liz. Then I broke off and headed back to the garden, hoping I could arrive before he did and tell Iris about what I had seen. When I made it back to the garden, though, he was already there, in the same place he'd previously been, stroking Iris' hair to wake her up.

I couldn't take this anymore. Even though a week ago, I would have found Eddy or Liz and told them the whole story. Instead, I found myself heading towards the sword-fighting arena. When I arrived, Aragorn was still throwing daggers at the dummies.

"I'm back."

He looked over at me and tossed a dagger. It embedded itself into the dummy's chest. "Well, that doesn't sound too optimistic."

"Yeah... I didn't get a chance to talk to any of my friends. They were all... busy."

I half-expected Aragorn to ask me why, but he seemed to understand that I didn't want to talk about it. So instead, he said, "You want to duel?"

I smiled. "Sounds good."

He smirked. "This time, though, we use staffs."

My smile only got bigger. My troubles with my friends and Raordell were temporarily blocked from my mind while I dueled. And I loved it.

**Liz - May 20th - Rivendell (6 days since the fight - Iris still isn't talking to me)**

_Honestly, what is wrong with me? You'd think I'd be the most excited one to be here - with my Lord of the Rings fantasies, but now that we're actually here, I'm in such a bad mood. I should be happy, but I'm not. Stupid hormones. My friends probably (hopefully) won't notice. They're really happy here, and I don't want to rain on their parade._

_Speaking of my friends, something strange is going on. Hallie is a sword-fighting prodigy, Eddy seems to have some killer eyesight, and now they've started training him in archery. Last I heard, he's really good at it. Iris and Raordell have gotten pretty friendly with each other, especially after our big fight. I like to spy on them a little, and watch Eddy get jealous, and that's pretty much all I have to do around here lately. Iris herself is being tutored by Lady Arwen, who's teaching her how to use herbs to heal. I also hear Arwen's teaching Iris how to use spells too._

_As for me, I pretty much go unnoticed around here. Everyone seems to have special abilities, except me. There's nothing special about me. In fact, there has never really been anything special about me. Eddy can act like an idiot sometimes, but he's really intelligent. Hallie's just good at anything and everything. The way her brain works...it's pretty amazing. And I'm definitely not as gifted as Iris in the musical category of life._

_I have a hunch. Based on all the books I've read, I think we may have been brought here to save the world in some form or fashion. I once said that if I was charged with saving the world, the world would be in big trouble. Luckily, with my friends around, I probably won't have to do anything. I"ll just stand in their shadow and watch._

_The problem is, I've read a lot of books, and I know that the story doesn't always end well. Life doesn't always end "happily ever after"._

_So what's going to happen to us?_

I sighed. Life was so dull these days. With my friends all off with their training, I was left with nothing to do. Lately, I had been practicing my drawing to pass the time. Elvish designs are very intricate, so it's a great way to pass the time. I walked all over Rivendell to find things to draw. I'm even getting better at drawing people. I drew Eddy while he was shooting. It was a really rough sketch, but it didn't turn out too badly. I drew Hallie and Iris too. They never noticed. Cameras don't really work here, so these sketches are the best thing we have.

I was so lonely these days that I had even started to miss my brother, Alex...he loved Lord of the Rings too - he'd be just as excited as Eddy if he were here.

It was getting dark. I had just come back from dinner. The rest of my friends were probably still in the dining hall. I usually ate and quickly left the room. No one ever noticed. I had always been afraid that eventually, our circle of friends would grow apart, and apparently, I had been right.

It had started to rain outside. I sighed - even the weather was dreary. Eventually, I fell asleep.

In the middle of the night, I woke up to a huge burst of thunder and lighting. I tried to go back to sleep, but I couldn't. I decided to go outside. It was pouring buckets, but I didn't really care. I stepped out onto the balcony. Whenever the sky lit up, I could see the entrance of Rivendell. I remembered when we first stepped through that entrance. I looked out at the docks, and with a start, I realized that our boat was there. It had vanished the moment we set foot on Middle Earth soil, and I hadn't seen it since. Maybe it was here to take us home?

I grabbed my cloak and wrapped it around myself, before walking out into the rain. My boots sloshed in the puddles, and I was glad that they seemed to hold up to the water quite well.

I walked out of the entrance. The guards paid me no attention, although I'm sure they saw me. I walked up to the boat and climbed aboard. The ship wouldn't automatically take off without my friends. Hopefully.

I walked around. There had to be a reason the boat was here, right?

"Hello, Elizabeth," a voice said. I nearly screamed. To my surprise, it was Raordell. He seemed to have melted out of the shadows.

"What are you doing here?" I asked, trying to calm my heartbeat.

"This is my ship."

"What? But that means..."

"Yes. I brought you and your friends here."

"But...how did you know about us?"

"Elizabeth, there are many worlds, and they are all connected. You just have to know how to get there. I saw you and your friends and I saw your hidden potential. For that reason, I brought you here. I'll admit, you made it quite easy for me."

"Who are you?" I started to back away uncertainly.

"I'm exactly like you, Liz,"

"W-what do you mean?" Suddenly, Raordell disappeared. "Where'd you go?"

"I'm right here." Raordell suddenly reappeared again, as if he had been invisible. "You see, my dear, I am a shadewalker. I control the shadows, and I can bend them to my will."

"A-a shadewalker? I've never heard of anything like that."

He smirked. "Shadewalkers do not belong to this world. I travel between worlds. It has taken me a while to find a shadwalker as strong as you."

I was taken aback. "I'm a shadewalker? How do you know? I don't know how to...do whatever you just did."

"That is why I am here," Raordell gave me a charming smile. "I can help you. You see all your friends with their mentors. I'm sure you feel quite alone."

"I am feeling sort of left out...but how did you know that I was a shadewalker?"

"I saw you flicker." Seeing my confused look, Raordell explained. "See, when you're inexperienced, you have little control. Whenever you are overly emotional or surprised, you automatically make yourself invisible, and that invisibilities flickers."

"So you saw me."

"Yes. And I decided I need to teach you how to control that power. Shadewalkers are greatly feared, and if you were discovered, things would turn out badly for you."

"Shadewalkers are feared? Why?"

"People fear their power. They think that all shadewalkers are evil because they were on Sauron's side in the killed off all shadewalkers in Middle Earth, even the ones who had done no wrong."

"That's horrible! So...how are you here?"

"I come from a different world. I found the secrets of the crossroads and began my search for more potential shadewalkers."

"And you want to teach me?"

"Don't you want to know how to control that power? Even your friends will have to acknowledge the fact that you're more powerful than they."

Raordell put his hand on my face. I pushed it away. "I thought you liked Iris."

"Iris is beautiful, but I see greater appeal in you. You're not overly beautiful, but your spirit is far brighter than those of your comrades." I couldn't help but feel flattered, even though I knew he was probably chalking it up. No one ever paid attention to me. My friends were all better looking, smarter, and more talented than I, and so I went unnoticed.

"Thanks...I guess,"

"Do you accept my proposition?"

"I - I guess."

"You understand we'll be leaving Rivendell?" Well, I didn't know that, but it made sense. If shadewalkers were so feared, then we should probably leave. And we'd be back - at least, I hoped so.

I looked back at the tower where all my friends slept. "I doubt they'll notice, but maybe I should leave a note,"

"If you wish."

I rushed back to my room, dripping wet. I grabbed a bag, and stuffed some clothes and my sketchbook into the bag. I ripped out a page in my journal and wrote a note before putting my journal and pen into the bag as well. I strapped my daggers to my waist and hurried back into the rain.

Raordell looked a little annoyed. "Have you said all your goodbyes, Elizabeth?"

I ignored his sarcastic tone. "Yeah, I'm ready to go."

"Excellent. We'll be on our way then."

* * *

**How 'bout you guys tell me how excited you are about The Hobbit and reading this by reviewing? I'll try to get the next chapter up sooner. The suspense is killing you, huh?**


	9. The Great Adventure

**Eddy - May 21st - Rivendell**

"Hey, Haldir," I called, running across the field to the archery range.

"Good morning, Eddy," Haldir replied. It had taken him a while to get used to calling me "Eddy", since it's such a strange name in Middle Earth, but he had finally gotten the hang of it.

"What are we going to work on?" I asked, quickly taking an arrow and shooting it at a target just for fun.

"Well, today, we're going to work on long-range shooting," Haldir replies. "You have mastered regular archery and working on using your sight will be a challenge for you."

"Great. So, what do I do?"

"First of all, you have to go up there." Haldir pointed to a far off cliff overlooking Rivendell.

I raised an eyebrow. "You're kidding right?"

"I am perfectly serious. Come on now - rock climbing is not too dangerous."

"It's dangerous without a harness," I mumbled.

"What is this...harness you speak of?" Haldir had started picking up most of my slang, but there was still a lot he didn't know.

"It's a...nevermind. You sure I'm not going to fall to my death?"

"Well, it's always a possibility, but if you fall, I'll be there to catch you." He started up the cliff.

"You're going before me? How are you going to catch me if you're above me?"

Haldir didn't hear me. I sighed and started my climb. I figured that if Frodo could do it, I could do it too. Hopefully.

I managed not to die, and I immediately turned on my sight - looking around Rivendell. I found Hallie, who was attacking Aragorn with a spear. I found Iris, who was mumbling something with fire alive in her hands. As I watched, she lobbed the fireball at a wooden dummy, and it died a quick death. I made a mental note not to get on her bad side ever again. Arwen was there too, and said something to Iris, obviously praising her, as Iris glowed with happiness. I couldn't find Liz, but that was normal, since she hid in her room most of the time these days. Finally, I closed in on the archery range. The target looked like it was right in front of me, but I knew it wasn't.

"So, using archery with the power of sight is a little complicated," Haldir started. "I still haven't mastered it and I've been working on it my entire life."

I turned off my sight and looked at him. "So, how does it work?" I took and arrow and notched it on my bow, aiming in the general direction of the archery range.

"When you have your sight on, you can shift the focus, yes?"

I practiced zooming my vision. It had taken a lot of practice, but I had picked it up quickly. Now I would zoom in on Haldir's face and back to the archery range in a matter of seconds. "Yeah," I answered.

"But you always have that one spot in your peripheral vision that never focuses on what you are looking at."

"Yeah, I know," I replied. Right now, I could see the target clearly, but if I looked out the corner of my eye, I could see Haldir. It was kind of like a blind spot.

"So, you put the bow up to your face, so that you can still see it out of the corner of your eye."

I saw what he meant. I could see the target, but I could also see the shaft of the arrow. I didn't know how exactly it worked, but I figured out a way to aim the arrow so that it would hit the target.

"You also have to factor in the path the arrow is going to take. Since this is long-range, the arrow is going make an arch in the air, instead of going straight. You have to keep that in mind."

I focused in on the target, did the math in my head, visualized the arrow's path, and released. I quickly turned off my sight and watched the arrow cut through the air and into the clearing. Beside me, Haldir started.

"What? What happened?"

"Y-you hit the center of the target," he answered, looking wondering at me. I felt a little guilty, since Haldir had said that he still hadn't mastered it, but I had gotten it perfectly on the first try.

I shrugged. "Beginner's luck?"

"You are lucky indeed, my friend." Haldir looked at me like he could have worshipped me, which made me feel uncomfortable.

"Not in the field of love, though," I said ruefully, thinking of Iris.

"Your friend, I'm guessing? Iris?"

We both sat down cross-legged on the ground. I picked at the grass. "Yeah, we had a fight."

"She's been spending an awful lot of time with that strange fellow - Raordell," Haldir said unhelpfully.

I scowled, falling on my back in the grass. "I know."

"I've always wondered about Raordell," Haldir said absentmindedly.

"What do you mean?" I asked, sitting up.

"He showed up a few moons ago. No one knew where he came from. We contacted our elvish brethren, but they had never heard of him. We kept him under guard for a few days, until a consort from Lothlorien came and saw Raordell, saying that he had seen him before, and we let him go free."

"You should have locked him away," I mumbled angrily.

"You should have such animosity towards Raordell just because Iris fancies him. He really is a nice fellow."

"Too nice," I grumbled. "I think that Iris might like him simply because he's good looking and compliments her! He has her completely fooled!"

"How do you know? Perhaps he really does care for her."

"I wish I could be as cool as Raordell...he has a way with words and he's good looking too. How can I compete with that?" When I had first seen Raordell, he had been ugly, and I thought I might actually have a chance. But when I met Raordell again, he had been just as handsome as described. The whole seer thing was probably messing with me that first time.

"Well, first of all, you should repair your friendship with Iris. How can you be her lover if you're not even friends?" I hated it when Haldir said, 'lover', since it means something...inappropriate where I came from, but obviously it just meant 'boyfriend' or 'girlfriend' here.

"Maybe you're right." I sighed and leaned back into the grass again, staring up at the clouds. One of them looked like the shape of a heart - was it mocking me?

"Talk to her," Haldir suggested. "I'm sure it will turn out well."

"Thanks Haldir. You're a good friend."

We lay there in silence for a while, before Haldir said that he needed to help his father with some woodwork. He left, and soon I got bored so I decided to go look for Iris.

She was in the garden, as usual, and she was watering plants, her back turned to me. "What are you doing here?" she asked icily.

"How did you know it was me?"

"I could smell you from a mile away," she answered sharply. Ouch.

"Listen, I know you're mad at me, but I just wanted to say that I'm sorry." Iris made a little 'hn' of annoyance. "I know I don't have control over your emotions, and I just wanted to say I'm sorry for trying to dictate what you can and can't do."

She turned around. "Listen, Eddy, I - I'm sorry too. I shouldn't let any guy get between our friendship."

"So, am I forgiven?" I asked hesitantly.

"Yeah, you're forgiven." Iris smiled. "Promise you'll be civil around Raordell?"

"I promise to be civil, but I can't promise that I'll like him."

"Well, that's all I'm asking." Iris smiled at me again, but I could tell that things between us definitely weren't like they should have been.

Suddenly, she gasped. "Eddy! What happened to your hands?"

I realized that my hands looked pretty scratched up from my climb up the rock face. "Oh, uh...I went rock climbing."

"You should have washed these cuts! They could get infected." Iris fussed over me, first washing my hands, and then using a simple healing spell.

I watched her, face slightly bent over the glow of her spell. She had her hair tied up, and a strand had fallen into her face. She blew it away in annoyance. I thought she had never looked so beautiful.

**Iris - May 22nd - Rivendell**

I was laying in a field of flowers. The aroma filled the air, and the flowers' soft petals made a comfortable cushion. I stared up at the sky, picking out shapes in the clouds. The only thing that might have made this moment more amazing was if Raordell was here. But he had gone to visit his ailing mother in the eastern mountains. He'd only be gone a week or so, he said, but I knew that time would seem so much longer to me.

Arwen was going to come find me any minute. It would be training time soon. We were working on spells right now- I had mastered the basic healing spells, so Arwen was teaching me how to defend myself with simple nature spells. I had mastered a fire spell, so now we were working on air spells. Just when I starting to get really comfortable...cue Arwen...

"Iris! It is time for your training." I groaned. I was so content right now.

Suddenly the sun was blocked from my eyes. I looked up to see Arwen standing over me. She started to say something, and then looked around. I could see her thinking for a second, and then she said, "This will be a perfect spot for today's training."

Sweet, I thought. I sat up in the bed of flowers. Arwen herself sat down with me, to my surprise.

"As you know, we are working on control of the elements," Arwen started. "Usually when you think of air, you think of peace and serenity. However, air has its destructive purposes."

I nodded, hanging onto every word. When Raordell returned, I would be eager to show him how much I had improved.

"Given time, air can erode all traces of life. If Rivendell were abandoned, time would slowly wipe away all traces that this architecture ever existed. Entire civilizations are forgotten, because the wind was given time to do it's work." Arwen has always been poetic. It almost makes me want to bring a notebook with me wherever I got, so that I can write down everything she says. It might seem like I'm an overzealous reporter if I do that though...

"Tell me Iris, can you dance?"

"Well, not really..." Actually, I danced a lot at home, but it was horrible, and shouldn't even be considered dancing.

"Air is the element of freedom. You cannot trap air, and so, when you dance, you become the air."

"How can air be destructive then?" I asked.

"Those with great spirit have the power to unleash the power of air and use it to their will. However, air is not to be tampered with. Deny it its freedom, and it will deny you yours." That didn't sound too fun. "Iris, you have the strongest spirit I have ever seen - you and the rest of your friends. I believe that you will be able to do very well with this element."

As Arwen instructed me, I stood up, closed my eyes, and felt the air blowing across my face. Slowly, I began to sing the words Arwen told me, and suddenly I was filled with a strong urge to dance. And I did. And suddenly, the air was filled with a maelstrom of flowers. I had made my very own flower storm.

"Very well done!" Arwen smiled as I stopped. "Soon, you will learn how to dance with your mind and soul, and you will not have to physically dance."

"That's good...it would be pretty strange to be dancing if I was battling someone." I started to spin around again. "But...I will dance now...because it's fun." I had never felt happier, than when I was dancing in my whirlwind of flowers.

That night at dinner, there was much less tension. It was just our group of friends, and for once, everyone was smiling, and the atmosphere was comfortable, because we had all pretty much made up.

Suddenly, Hallie said, "Hey...should one of us go and get Liz?" I realized that I hadn't even been thinking of getting Liz. I had just assumed that she was being moody again and wanted to be left alone.

Eddy and I just looked at her. Neither of us wanted to be the one to get a moody "I-want-to-kill-the-world" Liz. Hallie sighed and got up, leaving the room.

"So..." An awkward silence fell between me and Eddy. I realized it sort of looked like a date now...hurry back Hallie! "How's archery going?"

"It's going well. I can shoot from really far away, because of my eye technique. How's your spells and herbs going?"

"I learned how to make a fireball," I said proudly. Eddy looked slightly scared. "Don't worry! You'd have to make me really mad for me to throw a fireball at you!"

He seemed to breathe a sigh of relief. "Oh good. What else?"

"Obviously, I know how to do some healing spells, and today, Arwen taught me how to control air."

"That's really cool. I bet Liz would be proud, what with all her nerdiness with Avatar, The Last Airbender and all that."

"Yeah, speaking of Liz, what's going on lately?"

"She's been really moody..." Then he paused and thought for a moment. "I hope she hasn't been feeling left out. I mean...she doesn't seem to have any special abilities or anything."

"Yeah..." I looked down at my hands, realizing how she must have been feeling. I felt really guilty. I never really thought about how she might feel.

Eddy and I talked about other things. He tried to explain how his whole sight thing worked, but I just got confused. We joked and laughed and I didn't think about Raordell once. I was in a really good mood.

Of course, that all changed when Hallie burst into the room, waving a small piece of paper.

"Guys, it's Liz. She's gone!"

* * *

**Where oh where would Liz have gone? Is this the start of a great adventure? WHY YES, YES IT IS.**


	10. A Well Known Path

**Hallie - May 22 - Rivendell**

I was glad to hear that Iris and Eddy had made up. There was still some tension, but at least they were talking again. We were at dinner, just my friends and I (Aragorn had suggested that we spend some time together after everything that had happened) and for once, it wasn't awkward because the two of them were actually talking and joking together. I shifted and wrapped my leather jacket around me a little more tightly. Once we'd arrived in Rivendell, I had switched from the dresses to training gear- trousers and a loose shirt, plus my leather boots and jacket. Iris stuck with the dresses, and Eddy was still wearing some of his same clothes from the boat. Then I noticed that the fourth member of our group was (still) missing. The group was still out of balance - we needed to make things right with Liz too.

"Hey...should one of us go and get Liz?"

Iris and Eddy both stared at me. The looks on their faces told me I was the one who had to go talk to Liz. We hadn't seen her in a couple of days, and now that she didn't show up to dinner, I knew everyone had to be nervous. Resigned to my fate, I got up from our small table and headed down the hall to Liz' room.

I knocked on the door. No answer. "Liz, I know you're in there. You have to come out sometime." Still no answer. "You answer me or I'll break the door down. You know I will. How do I know you're not dead in there or something?" Still no answer.

Fine, I thought. Be that way. Part of me was tempted to just walk away... but how did I know that she wasn't dead? So I grabbed one of my daggers from its sheath and pushed the door open.

Her room was empty. A chair was tipped over, and her bed wasn't made. For a small fraction of time, I was scared out of my wits. Where had she gone? Had someone taken her? Then, I noticed a piece of paper on her bed. It contained a note, hastily written. The note went something like this:

_Hallie, Iris, and Eddy (or to whom it may concern) ~_

_I've gone off with Raordell. He's promised to teach me how to use my abilities - don't worry Iris, nothing is happening between us. Don't worry about me - I'll be back as soon as I can. Just keep practicing your skills like you always do. I'm sure you won't miss me._

_~ Liz_

I stared at the note for a long time, finally sinking down onto her bed, exhausted from all the training... the training that couldn't help me at all in a situation like this. How was Aragorn so calm and collected all the time? How could he deal with leading an entire country?

I was so scared. We wouldn't miss her? What did she mean? I got up and paced around the room. Finally, I decided I needed to talk to someone. But I didn't feel like talking to Iris right now (because apparently Raordell hadn't gone to his mother's house in the eastern mountains), and I didn't want to talk to Eddy (because he'd freak out on Iris and I didn't want to start that again). Who did I have to talk to?

I arrived at the sword fighting arena a few minutes later. Usually, I'd be out of breath, but since I had been training so much in the last couple of days, I could have run another mile. Aragorn wasn't there. I ran through the gardens, calling his name, but I couldn't find him. Finally, I sat down under a tree, tears streaming down my face. I can't cry, I thought. It wasn't strong to cry. A captain, a warrior, would not cry. Gradually, the tears stopped.

Suddenly, I heard footsteps pounding in my direction. It was Aragorn. "Hallie," he said, "I heard you calling for me. Is everything okay?"

"Not really. Liz has gone missing and she left this note... but it's not like Liz to disappear, trust me, this is really out of character, and I saw her the other day and she was, like invisible, and then she wasn't..."

Anyone else I would have tried talking to would have looked at me, completely confused. But Aragorn totally got me. Thank God for that. He held out his hand for the note, and I wordlessly gave it to him. He read through it, and his eyes darkened dangerously.

"I should have known that Raordell wasn't who he said he was. I should have known..."

Aragorn looked like he was in pain. Before I was able to say anything, he grabbed me by my shoulders and hoisted me to my feet. "What was this invisibility you were talking about?"

"Well," I started, gripping the hilt of my sword (it was calming), "The other day, when you told me to go talk to Liz, I went to her room... well, I went to the balcony that connected our rooms, and I saw that she was deep in thought, so I didn't want to disturb her, because she hates that. Anyway, I looked away for a second, and when I looked back, she wasn't there. And then she was. She flickered in and out of existence like that for a while. And then, I went to go talk to Iris, but she was talking to Raordell, so I spied on them instead. And then, she suddenly fell asleep and he got up and walked away. So I followed him, and he went and spied on Eddy, Liz... and you. I guess he was trying to spy on me."

"Why didn't you tell me any of this earlier?"

"I didn't want to talk about it. I didn't have any proof that Raordell was bad, so I didn't want to stir things up anymore than they already were," I sighed, "I'm so not going to be a captain or any kind of warrior, am I? I can't even handle my friends."

Aragorn sighed. "I felt the exact same way when I was your age."

"Which was like, 72 years ago..." I muttered under my breath.

"I heard that." Aragorn smiled. "When I was young, I felt like the worst warrior ever. My emotions were swinging back and forth, and I couldn't have controlled a pack of pigs. I felt so lost and so alone sometimes. I was expected to be a great warrior, a king... and I felt like I couldn't do it. That is how I know you will be a great warrior someday, Hallie. The greatest warriors are the ones who are born with the skills, but must learn through perseverance and struggle how to use them. Even if you feel lost now, someday you'll understand," He paused and leaned a little closer, whispering, "If it counts for anything, I'd prefer you to watch my back in a battle instead of some my captains. But... coming from this really old guy..."

I smiled. "Aragorn, that means a lot." He smiled back. "But what are we going to do about this?"

He looked thoughtful for a moment. "It sounds like she is a shadewalker. And perhaps Raordell is one as well... that would explain a lot. It has been some time since I read up on the history of the shadewalking empire." He looked back at me. "Give me a day, Hallie, and I promise you that by then I will know what to do to help your friend."

I thanked him and we parted. I figured I should head back to the dining room, since Eddy and Iris probably weren't ready to be left alone quite yet. I made my way back up the steps and stormed into the dining room, waving Liz' note above my head.

"Guys, it's Liz. She's gone!" I slapped the note onto the table. "She left this."

Iris reached for the note, reading it quickly and handing it to Eddy. Her face turned from a shade of pink to white to a horrid shade of green. She sat there, spellbound in her seat as the tears started to fall. Of course, this would be hardest for her because of Raordell. Eddy's face turned a wonderful shade of snowy white as well. "She... she... left."

I had no tears. I stood straight and strong, my face as placid as a marble stone. I knew I couldn't be completely emotionless all the time, but right now, that was the only way I could keep from breaking apart. I gripped the hilt of my sword tightly and stared Eddy in the eye. "I know."

"But we'll find her."

**Liz - May 22nd - Raordell's Lair (could it sound any creepier?)**

By lunchtime, we had arrived at what I called Raordell's lair. It was dark, and little sunlight filtered through the trees. I shivered, only partly because it was cold. I started to regret coming here with Raordell. I had gotten a little sleep on the ship, in my old room. I had made sure to lock the door. Raordell still creeped me out, especially now that I knew he was a shadewalker. The whole invisibility thing weirded me out, because Raordell could have been standing next to me at any given time. Talk about being a stalker.

At least the food is good, I thought, chewing on some rabbit meat. On normal circumstances, I would never eat rabbit meat, but since there weren't chickens or anything here, it would have to do. Plus Samwise Gamgee loved coneys, so I figured they must be good, and Raordell used a nice array of herbs on the meat, making it extremely tasty.

I began to wonder if Raordell was actually an elf. He had the pointy ears and all, but he was shorter than most, and he wasn't a vegetarian. He did say he was from a different world though, so maybe their elves were different? Now that I got thinking about multiple worlds...was there, like, a Pokemon world? A Harry Potter world? An Avatar, the Last Airbender World? Maybe Raordell would take me there...although I would have to bring my friends with me. There was no way I was going to let Raordell take me to another world by myself.

After lunch, we started my first shadewalking lesson. We stood in the middle of a clearing, where there was light. "First, you must know how to control the shadows," Raordell started. "Shadewalking is an ancient art, and it is one of the few that you can control with your mind. Many often couple shadewalking with weaponry, often long-range. I myself am an archer, but we'll get to that later."

"So…how exactly do you control the shadows with your mind?"

"You must bend the shadows to your will. They are difficult to control, but once you show them that you are superior, it is quite simple. Shadewalking is so feared, because there are always shadows, and so it can always be used. It is especially powerful in the dark."

"What exactly can you do with shadows?" I asked.

Raordell's answer was surprising. "Almost anything imaginable. Because Shadewalkers control the shadows with their minds, almost anything they imagine is possible."

I blinked. "That's...really powerful."

"Indeed," Raordell said, nodding.

"So...if I, say, want to make my shadow wrap around that tree," I said, pointing. "I would just imagine it winding around, and it'll do that?"

"Yes." I concentrated on the tree, and imagined my shadow wrapping around it, and to my surprise, that's what it did.

"That's amazing!" I exclaimed, delighted. I made my shadow wiggle around, and turn into different shapes.

Raordell winked at me. "I told you you are a powerful shadewalker." He let me play around with the shadows for a little bit, then said, "Since you have already shown such great progress with shadow control, how about we move onto something more challenging?"

Suddenly, Raordell's appearance changed. One minute he was a full grown man (elf, whatever), the next, he was a small child, smiling a toothy grin at me. I almost jumped in surprise, and then Raordell quickly changed back to his regular appearance.

"Illusions are the pride of the shadewalking abilities. Shadewalkers can change their appearances at will, and only very powerful shadewalkers and seers can see through the illusion."

"Seers? Like my friend Eddy?"

"Yes, seers like Edward have the capability to see through illusions, although only the most powerful can, and only when they have their sight turned on."

"So...does this work the same way as shadow manipulation?"

"Similarly, yes. You simply imagine the appearance you want to take up. The only restriction is that you can only impersonate people you know or have seen. This is when you have to think about details, because even the smallest mistake will give you away. Start simple."

I bit my lip. "Alright..." I closed my eyes and imagined a squirrel, bushy tail, beady eyes, and all. When I opened my eyes, I was encased in a strange kind of cocoon. I could still see out, but everything looked darker and it was like seeing the world through thin fabric. When I looked in the mirror, a squirrel stared back at me with evil looking eyes.

"Whoa..." I breathed. I tried something else - a cat. I figured I could scare superstitious people with a black cat. "Does the illusion match my movements?"

"Yes, the illusion matches your movements. Think of it as an extension of your shadow. Similar to the way a shadow will match your movements, so does your illusion. Speaking of your own shadow- that is the most powerful part of your body. It is easier to control your own shadow than any other shadow, and at times, your shadow can become partly solid- that is, if you're powerful enough.

I transformed back into myself and twisted around to see my shadow. "Why don't you try making something with it... like, say, a dagger?" Raordell said.

I focused and my shadow lifted up, pouring into my hand. It quickly took the shape of the dagger in the sheath at my waist. But then something strange happened. My shadow started to feel heavy in my hand. And suddenly, the dagger was solid. My eyes grew large. Raordell moved closer and picked up the dagger from my hand. I saw something flicker behind his eyes, and he began to walk away with my dagger. I must have called it back or something, because one moment the dagger was in his hand, and the next, it was in mine. Raordell began to smile.

"You are more powerful than I could have ever imagined." He moved closer to me. "Much more powerful."

In that moment, holding my shadow in my hand in the form of a dagger- and a solid one at that- I felt powerful. More powerful than Eddy or Iris or Hallie. Suddenly I was the powerful one. Wait until they heard that. I smiled and let my shadow fall through my open fingers and pool back at my feet.

**Eddy- May 22nd- Rivendell**

_She. Left. Liz freaking left._

_And with Raordell, no less!_

_What was she thinking? What is she thinking?_

_That he's going to teach her to use her abilities? To shadewalk, whatever the heck that is. He's a sneaky little maniac. I mean, look what he did to Iris. Leading her on and all that._

_Speaking of which, I was right. He was not the person she was supposed to be with. And now she knows that too. Of course, if I said anything, she'd probably punch me... or throw a fireball at my head. I guess since she's so powerful and all that now, I better watch what I say. You know, since I kind of like my head and all..._

_I'm pacing. I have been pacing for hours now on the balcony, starting when I woke up. I haven't gone down to the archery range, though now that I think about it, it probably would have calmed me down. The climb yesterday was really calming. Besides the cuts and all._

_So... updates... yeah. Um, after Hallie told us Liz was gone and showed us the note and Iris kinda sorta started crying, she told us that she'd gone to Aragorn (yeah- Aragorn, because he and Hallie are like best buddies now. Why didn't she talk to us? We're Liz's friends, not Aragorn. Gosh.) and he'd said to give him a day and then he'd know what to do to help. So early this morning I heard he went over to the library to read up on the Shadewalker Empire or something. I "saw" (sight reference) Iris heading to the library a little bit after, and almost went after her, if only to talk. But I guess I'm the last person she'd want to talk to right now. I haven't seen Hallie all morning, though I thought I heard someone say that she had gone to the sword fighting arena and was inflicting some serious damage on some dummies._

_But still. Liz left. L-E-F-T. I don't know how she could do that. To her friends. Or, I suppose, the people who used to be her friends. Because we're not acting very friendly anymore (cough-Hallie-cough)._

_So... I really don't have anything to do right now. Until Aragorn gets back with his "wonderful" solution. I'll go down to the archery range. Maybe rant to Haldir a little bit? Perhaps shooting some things will help me get back on my feet. Help me clear my head, you know?_

_You have no idea how weird that sounds to me. A few weeks ago, if I wanted to calm down, I would have turned on the TV or played some video games. Now here I am in Rivendell... of course, we don't have TVs here, or video games, but at home I would have even just lay on my bed and stared at the ceiling. I wouldn't have gone and shot something. But I guess Rivendell is just rubbing off on me._

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**Two updates in one day? Well, that's just how cool I am. And yes, Eddy's chapter is pretty much all journal. I hope y'all are excited, because the next chapter is ten times more epic! But it shall not be posted today. (Mwahahahaha!)**

**Tomorrow, maybe. **

**So let me know what you think!**


	11. The Letter

**Well, y'all asked for the next chapter, so here it is. My goodness, I guess the story finally got exciting or something, because we got a lot of reviews! Thanks to NoxHolly, Sunshine Liquid Rain, horseyyay, and nbowles for following! And thanks to horseyyay for reviewing! This is awesome!**

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**Iris- May 22nd- Rivendell**

Okay, I'll admit it. I cried a little bit. I mean, really, the guy of my dreams just left- and lied to me about it- with my best friend! He might have even kidnapped her! I cursed myself. I knew he was too good to be true. I should have stuck to my instincts, but I didn't. Ugh.

So I woke up really early this morning, you know? Because I couldn't sleep very much- you get the idea. Normally, I would have rolled over in bed and tried to shut out the sunshine, but this morning, I got up, went out on the balcony that connected Hallie's, Liz' and my rooms, and danced.

I made my own air storm- there wasn't anything in it, but I could feel it- and I just kept dancing and twirling, loving every minute of it. Being here in Rivendell, learning about my abilities, all of it- even Raordell- was changing me. I could feel it. It was changing Eddy and Hallie too, whether they noticed it or not. None of us had been the same since we came here.

After my morning dancing, I decided to go to the library. I walked down the path that connected our rooms and the main city of Rivendell. I loved this particular path because it went through the gardens, and in the gardens, it was just me and the flowers. There wasn't any outside drama, no love issues, nothing. It's perfect.

I arrived at the library and headed over to the healing section. I hadn't read any book besides the one I'd found on the ship, and even though it contained over 50 herbs and their uses, I had already learned all of them, so I decided that I would trade it out for a different, bigger book. I wandered over to the section marked "Herbology and Healing" and found myself in a corner of the library with a bunch of dusty herbology textbooks that probably hadn't been used in years, including several copies of the one I hoped to exchange. As I slid my book onto the shelf (finding that it fit perfectly in between the other copies), one book in particular caught my eye. It was called The Common Dictionary of Golden Herbs. Arwen had told me a little bit about Golden Herbs. They were supposed to be really rare and really powerful herbs. I picked it up and opened the front cover- and an envelope slid out. It read: For the Healing Outsider in gold ink. How appropriate.

For some reason, I felt that the note was... meant for me. Carefully, I broke the seal and slid the letter out of the following letter, written in elvish, is what was inside:

_To the Healing Outsider:_

_If you are reading this, then you are not of Middle Earth. You were born and raised in a different land and you have only recently happened upon our land... but not by accident. With you, there are three others. Over the past days (or mayhap weeks), you have learned about abilities that you and your friends possess. You are more powerful than you realize._

_I have seen threads of the future, and I have seen that one of your own has wandered from her path, and you fret. She is a shadewalker, a rare and powerful breed that once Middle Earth kings called to destroy. And of such, many shadewalkers are bitter towards the royalty of Middle Earth._

_In the Shire with a hobbit named Samwise Gamgee is a Secret. This Secret will lead you not only to the heart of your problems, but also to your home._

_I have a favour to ask of you, Healer. Give this note to the King Elessar so that his plight may be further explained and he can right the wrongs of the past._

_To the King Elessar:_

_If you are reading this, then I am gone. Currently with you are four outsiders. You have noticed their abnormal abilities and, if I am correct, are currently training one. As you know, one of them has strayed from her path, and your student has come to you for help. I have looked upon the shades of the past and future, and I see momentous things that will soon come to pass._

_These four are very important to the survival of Middle Earth. The one who strayed is a Shadewalker, and a very powerful one indeed. You need to save her from herself and from evil. The rest of them- the Healer, the Warrior, and the Seer- are also very powerful. You cannot complete your quest without them._

_With Samwise Gamgee in the Shire lies a Secret with which Gandalf the White entrusted to him. This Secret will ensure the safety of Middle Earth and of the four who walk with you now. Find Master Gamgee and complete this last quest that I entrust to you._

_Once, long ago, a group of Shadewalkers sided with the Dark Lord Sauron in the wars. Because of this, and because of their power, many ancient Kings attempted to destroy their race. Few still reside in Middle Earth- but without their kind, Middle Earth will wither and die. Do not repeat the mistakes of the past; punishing the many for the mistakes of the few. Encourage the return of Shadewalkers to Middle Earth._

_Take care of my daughter._

_Lord Elrond_

Lord Elrond. Wow. Lord Elrond left a note... for me... in a place he knew only I would find it. Absentmindedly, I picked up my books and began to wander around the library, reading the note over and over again. I was passing by a particular group of shelves labeled "The History of Middle Earth" when, out of the corner of my eye, I saw Aragorn. I looked down at the note again. King Elessar... duh! I thought. I had heard Arwen refer to Aragorn as Elessar before. I walked closer to him.

"Um... hi, Aragorn."

Aragorn looked up. "Hello, Iris. How are you?"

"I'm doing okay, thanks. The reason I came over here to talk to you is... well, I was looking through some books in the Herbology and Healing section and I found this note. I think it's for you."

I handed the note to him. I didn't want to be creepy and watch him read, so I looked around the library a little more. It was only the second time I'd been in the library, and it was bigger than I thought it would be. There was a lot of natural light and it was beautiful, just like all of the other buildings in Rivendell, only this one was filled to the brim with books. I felt a little like Belle in Beast's castle.

I looked back at Aragorn. He was just staring at the note. He looked from the note back down to his books, almost if asking: I read all of this for nothing? Really? Then he glanced up at me. "Gather the others," he said (in a really commanding kind of voice), "And tell them to pack their things- we head out in an hour."

"What exactly does the letter mean?" I asked tentatively.

Aragorn stared solemnly at the letter. "Your friend Elizabeth is a shadewalker, and she has left with that fellow, Raordell. I fear that their disappearance does not bode well for the future of Middle Earth."

"How?"

"I'm afraid that Raordell is somehow trying to use Elizabeth's power for his own gain. Either that, or someone else will arise to mislead your friend and use her abilities to change the history of Middle Earth."

Then he got up and walked away, the letter from Lord Elrond still in his hand.

I arrived back at our rooms at the exact same moment Eddy did. I ran up to him and said, "Pack your stuff. We're going after Liz this afternoon. I found this note in a herbology textbook from Lord Elrond and it told us that we need to go after Liz and we also need to find this Secret thing that Sam has with him in the Shire."

Eddy looked at me blankly. Then he seemed to pull himself together. He muttered something that sounded like, "Okay," but I couldn't really be sure.

Just then, Hallie ran up, her sword still in hand and her hair tied back from practice. "Aragorn told me that I needed to come up and see you - that it was urgent." I backed away slightly, scared that Hallie might get overexcited and accidentally maim me with her sword. She looked down at me and then seemed to notice the sword in her hand. "Sorry," she said as she put it away. "What's the urgency about?"

Then I repeated my story to her. Hallie's response was a much more coherent, "Awesome! Let's go get that creep!" (And by creep, I guess she was referring to Raordell). We both ran up to our rooms together to pack.

I don't think I've ever seen anyone pack that fast. We were all done with our packing in about 15 minutes or less. Weapons, books, clothes and all.

We met Aragorn, along with Haldir, who wanted to tag along, at one of the entrances to Rivendell, the same one where the Fellowship had started their own journey to destroy the One Ring.

"How are we going to find Liz? We don't even know where they went. The guards don't even remember seeing them leave!" Eddy babbled worriedly.

"We'll find her," Hallie looked out into the sun shining through the trees.

"And we'll bring her back," I said firmly.

"No matter what it takes," Eddy finished.

**Hallie - May 23rd - We're off to see the Wizard (I wish)**

I woke up to birds chirping and a leaf... falling on my nose. I don't know if you know this, but leaves really tickle. It was really the leaf that woke me up. Stupid leaf.

We were somewhere West of Rivendell (according to Eddy) when we had stopped last night. We'd made a fire (thank you, Iris, since Eddy fails at trying to make a spark) and cooked some meat and herbs over it. Thank goodness for some good old fashioned meat.

Breakfast was ready by the time I finally got myself awake enough to get out of my pile of blankets. I yawned as I ate my breakfast. I had gotten enough sleep, but traveling so much really got to me. We had covered a lot of ground yesterday, determined to reach the Shire as fast as possible.

Aragorn was sitting on a log near the place he had slept last night, speaking softly to a bird. When he finished speaking, the bird flew off. It was obviously a messenger bird. Either that, or Aragorn had gone off the deep end. With my belly now full, I walked over to him.

"Who are you sending a message to?" I inquired.

"An old friend," Aragorn replied, somewhat mysteriously. "If the enemy is as powerful as we fear, we are going to need help from our allies."

I clenched my fists. "Liz isn't the enemy." Or was she? What if when we found her, the darkness that came with being a shadewalker somehow consumed her? What if...what if she didn't want to come with us? I felt horrible thinking such thoughts about my friend, but if it really happened...I wouldn't know what to do.

Aragorn looked at me wearily. "I have no doubt of that. However, I am sure that Raordell has acquired some allies to his cause, and they will stop at nothing to keep us from taking Elizabeth from them." He looked off into the distance. "There is a battle coming. Can you sense it?"

In a way, I could. There was an uneasy feeling in my stomach, and my heart beat in anticipation. I looked back at my friends. Iris and Eddy were some of the kindest people I knew. Would they really be ready for battle? More importantly, would I be ready for battle? Would I be mentally prepared?

We were packed and on our way in a few minutes. Walking single file through dense woods, we covered a lot of terrain. Travel is fun- but not when you're traveling through forest that looks exactly the same at each turn. On foot. With weapons at the ready (or close) so you don't get killed. Oh, and travel is not fun when you're after one of your friends who may or may not be evil. Travel is not fun when you are traveling with your other two friends whose love lives could be the center of a soap opera and your mentor who is also the King of Gondor and one of the best warriors in Middle Earth.

So - to sum this all up for you, this particular journey is not fun.

I was walking at the end of the group because Aragorn felt that we'd be safer if he traveled in front and I walked at the rear. I was bored, I admit- so I let my mind wander. And, my mind, as it often did, landed on strange topics. I wondered what Aragorn must feel like- leaving Arwen behind when he finally thought he was settled in as king and traveling across Middle Earth to discover a secret and save a girl he'd only just met. I wondered if Eddy and Iris were ever going to get together. And I also wondered how in the world they didn't know they were in love with each other. I mean, really. I saw it. Me. How oblivious can you be?

We stopped quickly for a brief lunch (provided by Eddy and his sight) and then we were heading to the Shire again. I'm pretty sure that the Shire is at least a week's walk away or maybe more- but at this rate, we were going to get there tomorrow. I walk a lot for golf, but this was like- you hit your ball really far and you have to walk around 54 holes to find it. That's 15.75 miles, by the way. And around 12 hours of walking. Endless. Walking.

Gosh. This has to be the most boring experience of my life.

We were still walking through some forest when I heard a twig crunch behind me. I whipped around, hand on my sword, and stared through the forest, trying to find the source of the sound. Everything was silent for a long moment, and then I heard Eddy calling, "Hallie! Geez, keep up!"

Taking one last look at the forest behind me, I turned around and jogged to catch up with the rest of the group. "I... I thought I heard something, but I didn't see anything back there."

We resumed our hike. I glanced over my shoulder one more time. Was someone following us?

Of course, I couldn't say anything, or else we'd spend an hour looking around and find out that the snapping of the twig was caused by a rabbit. But I couldn't help feeling like someone was watching me.

We walked for another couple of hours before finally stopping for dinner and rest. Iris let her backpack fall onto the forest floor and she slumped down next to it. Eddy flopped down near her, and I sat on a stump. Even Aragorn looked a little tired (he never, ever looks tired, ever- like, can you give me your special serum or something? I need it for finals week!). I guess the long 15 and a half miles got to everyone. Eddy was too tired to hunt, so I grabbed his bow and tried my hand at it. I came back a half hour later with three rabbits. Hey- not too bad, eh?

So Iris started the fire again and we ate rabbit meat and just stared at the dancing flames. Not long after we finished dinner, Aragorn stomped out the fire and we were left with the darkness of night.

I stared up at the stars that night as I was laying in my pile of blankets. There were thousands- hundreds of thousands- little pinpricks of light in the night sky. In school, a teacher would tell me that they were burning balls of gas millions of light years away, but here in Middle Earth, I could just see them for what they are: stars. Tears in the satin of the night sky, revealing little bits of heaven. In that moment, I felt... whole. Like, my whole life, I had been missing some part of me, and I had just found it under these stars.

"Hallie." I looked up and saw Aragorn returning from wherever Aragorns go when they need to be alone. "It's your watch."

I didn't know how he knew what the time was, but I trusted him, so I got up and sat on my stump. I watched over my friends until my eyes were too heavy to keep open and the light was just beginning to creep into the sky, and then I woke Eddy to have his watch. I glanced once more up at the remaining bits of night sky. I wished Liz could have been with me and seen it too. And then I fell asleep.

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**What? Lord Elrond left a note for Iris? He sent them off to find a Secret? No way! There go our heroes, off to save Middle Earth! I'm so proud!**


	12. The Greater Good

**Thanks to Applejack456 and Juulberg for following, and to horseyyay, Applejack456, and DiamondIce for reviewing. And a clue to DiamondIce: you never know which old friends may show up.**

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**May 24th - Liz - Middle of Nowhere (I'm so sick of horseback riding)**

_I'm sick of Raordell taking me to unknown territory in the middle of the night. He woke me up just when I was having a really good dream (I don't remember it anymore), and said that we had to leave as soon a possible. I wanted to strangle Raordell, but that would probably be a bad idea._

_My training is going well, or so Raordell says. We've been practicing with shadows as we're travelling. Raordell throws rocks at me to test my reflexes. I have a few bruises, but I finally got the hang of using my shadow to protect my face._

_I'm so tired of traveling. We're constantly moving- but I don't know why. Sometimes, when I'm sitting on my horse, staring off into the distance, I think about my friends. I wonder if they've noticed that I'm gone yet, and if they have, I wonder what they thought of me leaving them. I guess they'd be a little sad, and maybe a little annoyed, but I'm sure that they understand I'm just following my path too and learning something from my mentor. Hallie's probably still training (maybe she's moved on to axes or something now). Iris is probably mastering the elements and Eddy is shooting arrows all over the place. I'll be back soon, and I think they know that. They're too happy to notice I'm gone anyhow._

I shifted a little on my horse. As much as I love horseback riding, it's not something you want to be doing every day, 24 hours a day. You get some awful cramps and plenty of soreness. It seemed like we were always moving. We never stopped in any particular spot for more than a day.

Raordell had been teaching me how to use my daggers. He taught me mostly long-range skills, but some close-range skill, in case I ever had to engage in hand-to-hand combat. As we rode, I would throw my daggers at the trees, and grabbing them back with my shadow. I had gotten pretty good at throwing and retrieving. I was surprised that I could aim so well. Back home, my brother put me to shame with how accurately he could throw a ball.

"Where are we going?" I asked Raordell. I had been wondering for a long time. We had been riding non-stop, and I wanted to know where we were going that was so important.

"West," he said simply. I sighed. I wasn't going to get anything out of him, so I decided to look at the map in my Lord of the Rings book. I found Rivendell and trailed West with my finger. Considering some of the landmarks we'd passed... I guessed that we were traveling to the Shire. Or somewhere near it. Not that I didn't want to visit the Shire, but if we were really going there, why? I puzzled over this for an hour or so more before we stopped for the night.

Raordell sat next to me as we roasted meat over the fire. "I want to tell you a story," he said.

I turned to face him. "Okay," I replied.

"Once, long ago, there was an entire Empire of Shadewalkers. They were the most powerful creatures in Middle Earth- and so naturally, they were feared as much as they were revered. But then Sauron rose to power. To protect his people, the King of the Shadewalkers made a treaty with Sauron. For this, most of Middle Earth considered him a traitor. But he was only trying to protect his kingdom. Then the war started. Some of the Shadewalkers went to fight with Sauron because they believed he could give them a better future- which only soiled the people's perspective of them even more. However, most of the Shadewalkers remained loyal to their King."

My eyelids suddenly felt very heavy- and I was very tired. Funny... I swore that I could see the Shadewalker warriors in battle, brother against brother, friend against friend. I hadn't realized that the first war with Sauron had such a startling effect on Middle Earth.

Raordell continued, "As the battle drew to a close with the assassination of Sauron, the Shadewalkers found that their empire was in shambles and that they were feared by most of the creatures in Middle Earth. Out of fear and anger, the Kings of Men and the Kings of the Elves and of the Dwarves ordered that all remaining Shadewalkers be murdered."

I could see the men, women, and children running away, screaming... people who had done nothing wrong... people like me.

"And so the elves formed a legion of assassins that could find and kill these Shadewalkers- and these assassins found a home in Mirkwood. As more and more of them died, Shadewalkers fled Middle Earth for other, safer lands, in hopes of rebuilding their empire and saving their lives and the lives of their progeny. As a child, I was told this story so that I could better understand my heritage..."

Exhausted, my eyes closed and I fell asleep. I woke up in the middle of the night, laying on the ground, covered in blankets. The fire had died, but the night air was pleasant. I attempted to gather my thoughts, but they kept returning to Raordell's story about the mass genocide committed against the Shadewalkers. I couldn't believe that the Middle Earth I fell in love with through J.R.R. Tolkien's books could be this cruel to a peaceful people.

I didn't know what Raordell wanted to do with me, but I was almost certain that it had to do with restoring the Shadewalker Empire to its former glory and making peace with the other people in Middle Earth. I decided right then and there, as I lay in the shadows of a tree, that I would do whatever it took to help restore the Shadewalker Empire and avenge the wrong that was done to them.

I curled up in my blankets and closed my eyes, content with the endless traveling and horseback riding sores. I understood now. I could do with a little discomfort- because it was all for the greater good, right?

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**Sorry for such a short chapter. I might add another one on later... and that one will be really long, so sit tight, my friends.**


	13. The Battle

**Dun dun dun... this is a really cool chapter. Thanks to horseyyay and DiamondIce for reviewing again! Enjoy!**

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**Eddy - May 27 - Somewhere just East of Bree**

Early this morning, Hallie woke me up for my shift on watch. To my surprise, it was already light. For the past couple of days, the watch schedule has been as follows: Aragorn, Hallie, me, and Iris. But if the sky was already starting to grow light...then Hallie must have extended her shift longer than she should have. I don't think she's slept more than 3 hours over the last couple of days. I'm worried she's going to collapse or something, but she seems to have killer stamina. Either that, or she found some amazing energy drink (I want some! I can barely stay awake after all this time).

Before travel started today, I pulled Aragorn aside and told him about it, because I figured that Hallie would listen to him more than she would to me (which, in itself is kind of strange. I mean, back at home... well actually, Hallie wouldn't listen to anyone). Aragorn kind of chuckled and told me that everything was going to be alright- that he had actually been like that when he was younger.

So we started our long walk once more.

I'm walking in front of Haldir and behind Iris, who's behind Aragorn. Hallie brings up the rear. I think we've walked more in the past couple of days than I have in my entire life. Honestly, I'm surprised I haven't collapsed.

"If we walk any further...I think I'm going to fall over," I muttered to Haldir behind me.

Suddenly, something on a tree ahead of me caught my eye. Breaking from formation (something I knew Aragorn hated), I walked over to the evergreen. There was a deep gash in the tree, almost like someone had thrown a dagger into it as target practice. I looked around me for footprints, but saw none other than my own. And yet... the dagger that had so obviously made that mark was no longer there. I turned on my sight, scouring the ground around me for any signs that it had been recently walked upon by someone, but found nothing. The gash didn't look very old- in fact, it looked like it had been made recently. I turned around and called out to the rest of the group. "Hold up!"

Aragorn looked at me, annoyed. "We do not have time to dawdle."

"I just saw this and thought it might be important." I defended myself.

Aragorn came over, looking impatient. He examined the tree, then frowned. "It seems like someone has been practicing their aim. There's nothing suspicious about that. Travelers go down this road often."

"But that's the thing," I said. "I've looked all over for any signs of footprints near this particular tree, and I haven't found anything."

"Rainfall, erosion, and the wind can change all of that in a second. I don't understand why you're so worked up about this." Aragorn began to walk away.

"Sir, if I may," Haldir said, walking towards us, "Eddy is right- there are no footprints around this spot. Also, this dagger mark was not made long ago, because the tree would already be starting to heal. Therefore, the only reasonable explanation is that the dagger that made the mark on this tree was called back by some sort of magical force."

Iris and Hallie ran up. "Maybe that's Liz!" Iris said.

We all stared at her. Looking bashful (and cute), she pulled a book out of her bag. It was entitled The Capabilities of Shadewalkers. "I took this from the library before we left. I figured we'd need to know what we were up against, right? In here, it says that some Shadewalkers can use shadows to move objects. So maybe Liz didn't need to get off her horse to call the dagger back."

"If this is true," Aragorn replied, "she has excelled in her training much faster than we previously thought."

"We have to keep going!" Hallie exclaimed. "If we keep following the dagger marks, we'll be able to catch up with them."

"But do you think the tracks are made for us?" Iris asked, looking hopeful (and cute... did I mention that Iris always looks cute? Especially when she's embarrassed...ahem...back to the issue at hand, Edward.). "I mean, maybe she wants us to follow her."

"My guess is that Raordell has been teaching her how to use her abilities, unconsciously leaving a trail for us to follow," Aragorn said. "It seems that our target is not as bright as we thought."

"He's pretty dark, if you ask me," Hallie mumbled. "I think we should follow it. It's in the same direction we're going anyways."

"I suppose so," Aragorn agreed. "Move out!" We all lined into formation and started walking again. It was still boring, but suddenly, we had more hope. We were on Liz's trail, and it would only be a matter of time until we got her back. After we told Liz that Raordell was misleading her she would come with us...right?

I felt a hand suddenly grab mine, and I looked over at Iris, who was looking at me reassuringly. She squeezed my hand gently. "Everything's going to turn out alright."

"I hope so," I smiled back at her (trying not to blush... and failing). Out of the corner of my eye, I thought I saw Hallie roll her eyes, but I dismissed it. I was only focused on Iris. And that was my downfall.

Aragorn called out, "Get down!", but I didn't register his words until an arrow struck me in the shoulder. I cried out in pain and dropped to my knees.

"Eddy!" Iris shrieked. More arrows flew out and everyone ducked for cover. Iris hadn't ducked when Aragorn had told her either, but she hadn't been hit. She knelt beside me, and examined the wound. "I'm going to have to pull the arrow out. It's going to hurt, but you're going to be alright."

I gritted my teeth and nodded. "Alright," she said, grasping the arrow in her hands. "One...two...three!" On three, she yanked out the arrow, and I yelled out in pain. Iris immediately pressed her hands against the wound, and my shoulder was suddenly hot. When it was all over, my shoulder felt much better and I looked over to see the wound gone. Wow...magic makes healing so much nicer.

"Thanks," I said, getting to my feet and grabbing my bow. Around me, everyone had gotten out their weapons. The enemy was hidden, but I saw them clearly. It was huge mass of uruk-hai. Most had swords, and they looked like they were about to charge. There were others with bows and arrows, and they were steadily shooting at us. I shoved Iris out of the way and began firing off arrows at the enemy when I could see them.

I'd read about a lot of battles, fictional and real. In books, they always seemed so clean-cut and glorious. But here, I was fighting for my life... and there wasn't anything glorious about it. For the first time in my life, I was seeing my arrows pierce living hearts and living creatures. I watched blood flying across the battlefield. Next to me, Iris whipped up a wind storm and sent it crashing through the forest. It took down a lot of the trees, and the army of uruk-hai rushed out.

Hallie and Aragorn raised their swords and charged into the mass. Haldir and I stood behind them, firing arrows as fast as we could. Iris shot off fireball after fireball. Blood splattered my face as I shot a uruk-hai close to me. Grabbing the arrow out of his chest, I reloaded it and fired again. Who was I? Shooting things, grabbing arrows and weapons from corpses? If I wasn't fighting for my life, I would have been disgusted with myself.

Soon, we began to tire. Aragorn was hit by multiple arrows in his shoulders and legs when he had his back turned, and he was starting to falter. Hallie kept going through the mass, making her way through the creatures like a tornado. Just when we thought we were winning, I heard a loud cry that sounded like trumpets, and oliphants came crashing through.

"You have got to be kidding me," I groaned. I was almost out of arrows. Iris' spells grew weaker, and Hallie and Aragorn were forced to back up as the oliphants thundered towards them. I noticed Aragorn limping a little as they moved backwards.

Suddenly, up on a hill ahead of us, I saw two horses, watching the battle. I focused in, and to my surprise...it was Liz. Next to her was a dark-haired man with a scarred face. Who was that? Where was Raordell? Why wasn't Liz coming to help us? Didn't she see that we could get killed?

**Iris - May 27 - Somewhere East of Bree (and in the middle of a battle)**

There were hundreds of them. Uruk-hai, I mean. Charging through the trees towards us. And then there were a good number of oliphants. And there were only five of us. Even as I kept sending fireballs and windstorms their way, they kept coming.

Suddenly, I saw Aragorn go down, clutching his leg. Aragorn. I cried out in horror, as did Hallie. She rushed towards him, slashing until she reached where he had fallen. Somehow, perhaps by a rush of adrenaline, she managed to pick him up, and started in our direction. She walked backwards, slashing in every direction, keeping the uruk-hai at bay. She was drenched in blood.

She dropped Aragorn as gently as she could while still driving her sword though the air. We crowded together around Aragorn, just like you see in the movies. Eddy drove arrow after arrow into the uruk-hai, and Haldir was killing just as many of them... until he was shot in the side.

He fell to the ground with a grunt of pain. "Haldir!" Eddy said, but couldn't do anything as he tried to take down an oliphant. I guided him towards the middle of our circle, where I yanked the arrow out and proceeded to attempt to heal him. I was already starting to feel woozy. I was stopped halfway through by a cry from Eddy. I couldn't leave my friends up there alone. I leaped once again to my feet and began to drive more fireballs into the enemy.

"Iris!" Hallie shouted. "We'll cover you; try to heal Aragorn and Haldir!"

I nodded reluctantly, but stopped my attack and finished healing Haldir. He immediately stood up again and started shooting, even though he was still very weak. I moved on to Aragorn. I used a simple water spell to clean his wounds. It wasn't too bad, but there were multiple arrow wounds and one huge gash. It was pretty terrifying. I mean...Aragorn is supposed to be invincible and awesome...but here he is...relying on me to heal him well enough so that he can go back to the battlefield and help protect his world. I healed as fast as I could, but I was starting to feel drained. Spells draw on the caster's energy, and I didn't have much left.

Aragorn got up and thanked me, instantly rushing into the battlefield again. I starting making my fireballs again. I almost fainted at some points, but then I remembered that my friends were counting on me, and I fought the exhaustion.

Eddy ran out of arrows, and he couldn't pull any out of dead uruk-hai without getting a load of broken, ruined sticks. Wouldn't it have been nice if he had a quiver that magically refilled with arrows (like in Narnia)? Hallie was still going, even though it was evident that she was growing tired. I couldn't see any wounds, but there was so much blood she must have been hurt. I was afraid she was going to collapse.

Eddy knelt down beside me, breathing hard. "We're not going to make it."

I looked at him fearfully. "We have to!"

"There's no way we could survive this. There's too many of them. There's only so much we can handle before one of us is killed."

"Eddy," I started. "I -"

Suddenly, I heard a trumpet call in the distance. Standing up, I saw a legion of white horses riding over the hills in our direction. Oh no, I thought, not more of the enemy.

Then, Eddy shouted, "It's the elves!"

To my joy, he was right. Arrows rained over us, taking out monster after monster. Then, a lone figure got off his horse and ran straight into the herd of oliphants. The elf was agile, and he took out a oliphant extremely quickly.

"No way," Eddy breathed. "It's Legolas!"

**Hallie - May 27 - Stuck in a Battle (Heck, I don't care where we are.)**

The elves were racing towards us on horseback, taking down uruk-hai. I was shocked out of my stupor by an arrow whisking past my ear. I raised my sword again and charged into the fray. At this point, I was just running on adrenaline.

Battle isn't like they show it in the movies. The hero doesn't immediately become a miracle worker and defy the odds by killing everything in his path. I was terrified. Scared out of my wits. But I was also angry. Really, really angry. I was angry at these monsters for attacking my friends, for wounding Eddy and Aragorn and Haldir. And currently, they were paying for it. Occasionally I came up against someone I presumed to be an officer in the enemy army, because it actually took me a couple of minutes to kill them.

For the most part, I wasn't thinking. I was just doing. I needed to protect my friends, and I would fight until my very last breath. I was covered in blood from head to toe, and I wasn't sure if it was mine or someone else's. I didn't feel any pain, but my nerves were kind of numbed.

Suddenly, someone grabbed my hand and started dragging me back towards my friends. I almost raised my sword to decapitate this weirdo when I realized that the weirdo was Legolas. My eyes grew wide. For a minute, I wasn't on the battlefield, fighting for my life and the lives of my friends. I was just Hallie, the girl from Colorado. I was amazed that I was in Middle Earth. And I was amazed that I was currently meeting Legolas (sort of...there wasn't much of a greeting).

And then I remembered that I wasn't just the girl from Colorado anymore. I was caught in the middle of a battle, covered from head to toe in blood. My friends had been hurt and some of their blood ran in the rivers that covered the forest floor. I had killed, and the blood of my victims also ran in those rivers. I was not, nor would I ever again be, Hallie from Colorado. I was Hallie of Middle Earth. I gripped Elyon more tightly and twisted out of Legolas' grip, righting myself and running with him towards my friends.

When we arrived, Aragorn was crouched down, resting, and Eddy was gone, running through the uruk-hai, trying to gather arrows that were usable. Haldir managed to shoot a few more of the enemy, even in his weakened state. Then he realized Legolas was here. He looked at Legolas in shock and admiration. Iris was a little green (from either the blood or her apparent lack of energy). She looked pale and haggard.

Legolas held out an extra quiver of arrows to Eddy when he returned and then shot a flaming arrow, one of his own, into the sky. Within minutes, elves surrounded us, trying to help Haldir and Iris off the battlefield. Haldir shook his head and told them to take only Iris. He was going to keep fighting. Iris looked like she didn't want to leave us either, but realized that she was too weak to help.

Legolas drew another arrow and sent it flying through the army that faced us. Eddy began to shoot his arrows as well, and I ran back into the fray. After a couple of minutes, I made it to the tree with Liz' dagger mark etched in it. Staring at the figure on the horse on the top of the hill, I briefly wondered if she had led the enemy here. No...that wouldn't happen. There was no way she'd do that to us. How could I even think that?

My train of thought was cut off- literally- by an axe slamming into the wood above my head. I drew a dagger out of its sheath and threw it at one of the oliphant's eyes. The creature fell to the ground, crushing several of my enemy with it. I scanned the valley, searching for Eddy and Haldir. Legolas was riding an oliphant through a group of monsters. Haldir was up in a tree, shooting like a madman, and Eddy was on the ground, running towards the edge of the woods, where I presumed Iris and the elves were waiting.

Suddenly, out of the corner of my eye, I saw a flash of something. I turned my head and saw a uruk-hai captain, racing down towards the battle. Elves were firing at it, but it seemed able dodge them. The uruk-hai decapitated an elf from atop its horse. I stopped dead in my tracks. The uruk-hai then jumped off its horse and took out a pair of daggers. It threw a dagger, killing an elf. And then the dagger flew back into its hand. He sent it out. Again and again. There was this sort of dark aura surrounding it. Seriously? A uruk-hai that was also a shadewalker? Oh great. I looked back up at the hill as I charged towards the uruk-hai captain. Liz was gone, and even though he was far away, I swore that I could see Raordell smiling.

"What is she doing?" I heard Eddy yell over the din of the battle. He had gotten a new set of arrows, and since he was relatively unhurt, he was firing arrows again.

"What is who doing?" I yelled back as loud as I could.

"Why is Liz killing elves?" He yelled.

"What?" I turned my head to look at the uruk-hai captain who had suddenly disappeared. Instead, there was Liz, madly throwing daggers and calling them back. "She - she's fighting against us?"

**Liz - May 27 - The Shadow Battle**

Raordell and I sat on our horses, overlooking the battle. The monsters had appeared out of nowhere, but they hadn't spotted Raordell and me. "Shouldn't we help them?" I asked. I watched Hallie cutting through the the creatures, Eddy firing arrow after arrow, and Iris lobbing fireballs.

"No," Raordell said, surprising me.

"What are you talking about? They're my friends - I should be helping them!"

"Remember, they've been tracking you," Raordell said. "They might have been brainwashed to believe that Shadewalkers are their enemy. My own friends betrayed me when the order to kill all Shadewalkers was given. I was lucky to be able to escape." Wait. Wasn't that, like... after the first war with Sauron...? Wouldn't that mean he's like, 2,000 years old? Or maybe time passes slower in his world?

"That's horrible. I don't believe my friends would do that, though." I was torn. There was no way my friends would ever turn against me, right?

"If they weren't here to capture you, then why did they bring Mirkwood with them?" Raordell said, just as a trumpet sounded over the battlefield. Elves on white horses poured down the hill. More and more uruk-hai began to fall, as did the oliphants.

I remembered what Raordell had said about Mirkwood. They had killed off the entire Shadewalker race, and it was because of them that Raordell's life had been so desolate. I felt a sense of dread as I realized that if Mirkwood was helping my friends, they would come after me, and kill me too.

Suddenly, I was filled with such anger. I was so angry that they had heartlessly killed people, even the ones who hadn't helped Sauron in the war.

"Perhaps we should leave," Raordell suggested.

I was about to agree, and then an arrow flew at my head. "What the heck?" I exclaimed. I looked down and saw some elves running towards me, firing arrows. That's when I got really angry. They were attacking me when I hadn't even done anything wrong! They were attacking me just because I was a shadewalker. I kicked my horse into a gallop. The first elf I came upon was reloading his bow, but I instantly formed a sword out of my shadow and decapitated him. I looked at the body, stunned, but then I realized there were more heading towards me.

I decided that a sword was too heavy for me, so I leapt off my horse and grabbed my daggers instead. I would have used a shadow dagger, but I was afraid it would take me too much energy to maintain it during battle. I used my shadows to improve the sharpness of my daggers instead.

It was terrifying. There were so many arrows that were coming towards me, and I had to use my shadows to protect myself. I threw my daggers and called them back to me as fast as I could. I was in a frenzy. I was hardly looking at what I was doing anymore.

It seemed that there were elves all around me, trying to take me prisoner. I fought in blind panic, when suddenly a voice called me back to my senses.

"No! Hallie!" It was Iris, her shriek piercing through the air. I paused, and my vision seemed to...clear. Bodies were littered around me, and I was standing in the center of it all.

I blinked in shock, looking around. And that's when I saw Hallie, who was standing not far from me, holding one of my daggers, slightly bent. She was looking at me with a horrible, shocked expression, a mix of betrayal and disbelief.

Then an arrow flew towards me. I didn't even have time to raise a shadow for protection, but Hallie rushed forward, shielding my body with hers. The arrow struck her in the chest, but then it...bounced off, tearing a hole in her bloodstained shirt.

"Eddy, are you crazy?" she shouted. The battlefield was suddenly silent. All the monsters seemed to have disappeared, possibly having been scared off.

My eyes focused on Eddy, who was looking back at me hollowly. "She tried to kill you, Hallie."

I dropped to my knees. "I - I what?"

"You threw your dagger at your own friend!" Eddy shouted. "How could you? What happened to you, Liz? You just went on a killing spree..."

I gaped at him, unable to say anything. He looked back at me with anger and disappointment. When my hands were tied behind my back and I was picked up like a sack of potatoes, I didn't even react. All I could see were my friends.

Iris turned away. "Liz...I don't know you anymore. I don't know if I ever have." Eddy turned away too and put his arm around her comfortingly as she began to sob.

Hallie just looked at me, her expression unreadable.

What had I done?

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**Oh the drama. Like it? Review please! **


	14. Standing Trial

**Hey, everyone! Thanks to kilah234, horseyyay, and Applejack456 for reviewing and thanks to kilah234 for favoriting! **

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**Eddy - May 28th - Somewhere East of Somewhere**

_So. Yesterday. Battle. Oh, boy wasn't that fun. You know, all the running around, killing people and fighting for our lives. That was a blast._

_And to top it off, Liz tries to kill Hallie. Liz kills a bunch of elves and then she tried to kill Hallie. How could she? Liz has done some pretty bad things before, but this was by far the worst._

_So, after the battle, and after Liz was tied up and the elves took her off somewhere (I don't care where), we ran over to see how Aragorn was doing. He lost a good amount of blood, but he's alive and his wounds are healing rapidly, thanks to the elves. He was actually kind of bummed that he fell so early in the battle. Like, he pouted a little. Which made the rest of us laugh. But only for a second._

_Because then we remembered where we were and what we'd been through, and everyone seemed to sober up pretty quickly. I guess no one told Aragorn, because he asked us why we were suddenly so quiet. Iris and I didn't want to say anything. We kind of put Hallie on the spot in that respect. So she told Aragorn about what happened- how Liz killed all those elves, how Liz tried to kill her, and how she was somehow invulnerable on the battlefield. He sat there in some kind of a stupor for a second or two, and we were all afraid he was either having a heart attack or he'd fallen asleep. But then he looked up and said, "Everything will be how it should be with your friend soon. You shall see."_

_Thanks, Aragorn, for all the reassurance. Because honestly, I'm not so sure that anything will ever be right with Liz again. What kind of psychopath tries to kill her friend? I don't think I'll ever be able to forgive her..._

"Eddy! We need to go!" I shoved my journal back into my pack and ran out of my tent. It was time for Liz' trial. The makeshift trial was being convened in the forest near Bree.

I caught up to Iris and she and I started walking towards the place where the trial would be held. Normally I would have loved the chance to be alone with her, but today, I was just sad. We all were. Our friend was being held on trial for some 30 murders and 1 attempted murder.

"Hey, guys! Wait up!" I turned around to see Hallie walking towards us with a semi-crippled Aragorn. Even though the gashes were gone, the healers still recommended that he take it slow. Iris and I stopped, waiting for Hallie and Aragorn to catch up. When they finally did, Aragorn laughed. "I hate being so slow."

We made it to the trial just in time. Basically, since everyone had seen Liz do it and there weren't any insanity laws, it was really a sentencing. An elf I didn't recognize stood up and gazed out over the crowd. "Will the defendant please stand?"

Liz stood, her wrists still bound together.

"Based on the laws of Mirkwood and the crimes she has committed, the defendant is condemned to death by hanging."

Iris gasped and Hallie almost stabbed the fallen tree trunk we sat on. To my surprise, Aragorn stood. "Sir Valandil, this punishment is quite harsh. She is but a girl and was under the influence of a Shadewalker."

"And how, King Elessar, was this girl influenced by a Shadewalker?"

Aragorn nodded to Liz. "Let the girl speak."

Liz glanced at Aragorn thankfully. Then she turned back to face Valandil. "A man named Raordell convinced me to run off with him. He is a Shadewalker, and I am one as well." At this, the entire council went into an uproar, until Valandil calmed them down. Liz continued, "He told me that he had brought my friends and I here on his boat because he was looking for a Shadewalker like me, a very powerful one. He then told me that he would be my mentor and teach me how to use my powers. It seemed harmless, I just wanted to learn how to keep my powers in control."

"Then why, pray tell, did you attack an entire legion of elves? There was an army of uruk-hai;

why didn't you attack them?"

"I -" Liz was at a loss for words. "The elves attacked me first," she finally said.

A general stepped out. "If I may, sir, my soldiers never fired at the Shadewalker until she attacked them."

Valandil looked triumphant. "As you can see, the Shadewalker has no proof that her killing was justified. She must be killed for her crimes."

"No!" To my surprise (again), it was Hallie who stepped out this time.

Valandil looked annoyed. "And what do you have to say in defense of the Shadewalker?"

"First of all, her name is Liz, not "The Shadewalker". Second of all, before Liz showed up, I saw something interesting. There was an uruk-hai captain charging down from the hill that Liz was previously on. The elves shot at it, and I charged towards it. Then, I turned to say something to Eddy, who had asked why Liz was killing elves."

"This proves it!" Valandil interrupted. "You said it yourself. The Shadewalker is guilty!"

"Wait!" Hallie said angrily. "I'm not done. I turned around, and there was Liz, right where the uruk-hai had been before."

"So maybe she killed him. It does not prove anything."

Hallie looked pretty mad. I was scared she was going to explode or something. "I'm still not done, sir. My friend Eddy has the gift of sight. He can see through the shades and illusions that Shadewalkers make. And I can prove it to you."

Hallie looked at me. "Eddy, please turn on your sight." After a moment of surprise, I did.

Hallie turned to Liz. "Liz, please change your shape." The council protested, but Hallie sent them a piercing glare.

Liz moved her neck slightly, and then everyone gasped. I didn't understand. What were they seeing?

"Eddy," Hallie said, "What creature is Liz currently impersonating?"

"She's impersonating something? All I can see is... Liz."

"The boy could be lying!" Someone shouted.

Hallie sighed. "Eddy, turn off your sight."

I did, and suddenly, there was a cat where Liz should have been. "Whoa!" I said.

Liz twitched her neck again, and the council seemed to relax. "Still," Valandir muttered, looking a little worse for wear, "she could have changed her shape to confuse us."

Hallie nodded. "That is true. But Liz doesn't remember killing anyone. She was scared. And I think she would have known if she changed her shape. Also, Eddy doesn't even remember ever seeing an uruk-hai captain." I nodded in agreement.

Liz looked at the council pleadingly. "Changing your shape takes a bit of energy, and I would have noticed the drain- and so would the people around me. My image would have begun to flicker, but it didn't. Ask the eyewitnesses. One minute they were fighting an uruk-hai captain, and the next, it was me."

Members of the elvish legion nodded in agreement.

"Council- my...friend here was under the influence of a very powerful shadewalker. Therefore, these murders should be looked upon as his doing, as she was nothing more than the dagger in his hand, so to speak. We received a prophecy and a quest from Lord Elrond that can only be completed if she is a member of our group. I pledge to you that the man who killed those elves will face justice, but please, let Liz go." Hallie looked at each of the council members in turn, waiting for their response.

The council whispered amongst themselves for a moment or two, and then Valadir stood once more, addressing the court. "Based on the evidence provided by this girl and her friends, we have decided that the defendant is not guilty of the charges of hand and shall be set free." He didn't look very happy about it. We all looked at each other, not quite sure how we were supposed to react. "But," he added, "I shall hold this girl"- he pointed to Hallie- " to her promise that the man who controlled the Shadewalker in the killings will see justice."

Liz looked immensely relieved. "Thanks guys," she said softly, looking at us with a clear question in her eyes. Did we forgive her?

I looked away. It would be a long time before we forgot this, even though Liz was under Raordell's control.

The court adjourned, and Liz was untied. She stood apart from us, detached and alone. I didn't care - she couldn't expect us to forgive her so soon. I saw Aragorn walking up out of the corner of my eye. We all turned and fell silent because beside him were two people: Legolas and a dwarf that I assumed must be Gimli. I took a moment to let this soak in. Legolas... and Gimli. Standing just a few feet away from me. My mouth fell open, much to my chagrin.

Probably as surprised as I was, Hallie said, "It's Legolas. And Gimli. No way."

"We have agreed to accompany you on the remainder of your journey." Legolas explained.

I would have jumped for joy, if the atmosphere wasn't so depressing.

"You." Legolas turned to me. "Edward, is it? I hear you're a seer, and a fine archer as well. How would you like me to teach you?"

I gaped at him. "Th-that would be amazing!" I couldn't believe it. Legolas was going to be my mentor!

"Come." Aragorn said. "There are some refreshments here. I am sure you are all very tired after that entire ordeal."

We all started to follow him, except for Liz. She just stood there. I didn't know what she was thinking in that moment and I didn't care. I didn't care if she felt left out of the group. I didn't care anymore.

Really, what kind of friend just betrays you?

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**Will Eddy ever be able to forgive Liz? Will any of them, for that matter? What will the Secret be? Review and let me know what you think!**


	15. Raordell's Return

**Thanks to kilah234, Applejack456, and horseyyay for reviewing and to Applejack456 for favoriting! What a lovely band of loyal followers we have! I must say, this story is getting more exciting every week! **

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**Iris - May 29th - On the Road to Bree (On the road again, oh yeah we're on the road again)**

Things had been super awkward lately. Eddy and Hallie weren't talking to Liz, and she pretty much just sat by herself. Nobody wanted to talk to her. I myself didn't know what to think about my friend. On one hand, she had been controlled by Raordell, which I understood, but on the other hand...well...I felt like I didn't know her anymore.

I was glad that she wasn't dead, of course. I would never wish death upon my friends. But that didn't mean I wasn't angry. I felt like Liz had stabbed me herself with her betrayal. I was feeling extremely confused. We didn't have much time to work our feelings about everything before we had to leave and continue on to Bree.

We had gotten new supplies and rested up before continuing on to Bree. Although the conversation carried on as usual, the underlying tension was thick. Hallie was talking to Aragorn about the plan for the rest of the journey. Eddy and Legolas were talking about archery, with Haldir hanging onto every word. I was looking through my herbal journal, alone with my thoughts.

People have always told me that we need to forgive and forget. That's easier said than done. You can go up to someone in a tough situation and say, "Forgive them," but if you've never been in a situation in which forgiveness just doesn't seem like an option, you have no idea what they're going through. I wanted to forgive Liz- she was my friend- but at the same time, she tried to kill Hallie. And if Hallie wasn't invulnerable, I'm not sure she'd be here right now. Of course, Hallie had proven that Liz had been under the influence of Raordell, but it didn't make her actions any less real or potent.

No one was talking to Liz. I can't imagine how alone she must have felt. The thing I think we've got to remember is that we were the ones driving her away in the first place- we were so focused on training and our abilities that we left her in the dark. If we had tried to include her in everything, maybe none of this would have happened.

I wished, suddenly, that I could go back to that moment when Hallie first told us about her plan to see the Statue of Liberty and tell myself to convince them not to go. We wouldn't have come here, yes, but it's a compromise I'd make for the sake of our friendship and our lives. We wouldn't have fought for our lives in the battle. Liz wouldn't have betrayed us and I wouldn't have met Raordell. None of this would have happened if only we'd stayed away from that island.

"Hey, Iris." I was shaken from my thoughts by Eddy's voice. He sat down next to me. "Whatcha thinking about?"

"What if I had just convinced you guys not to go to Liberty Island? None of this would have happened. It would have been so much better."

Eddy looked at me in surprise. "Yeah... I guess this has been hard, but think of everything we've gained from it so far? Look at the people we've become! Think about what we can do!"

I stood up, facing him. "We've gained nothing, Eddy. We've lost our friendship, and our lives. We're never going to see our families again- do you realize that?" I paused, letting it sink in, and then continued, "We've become murderers. We've betrayed each other and we've committed horrible acts of crime. And what can we do? I can heal- but what good does that do if you all are constantly getting hurt?"

Eddy stood up and stared me down. "Iris," he said, "We all would have had to face these sorts of troubles at home. We would have grown apart as friends. Someone close to us would have died- because people always die. And someday, you will cry over something different that is entirely just as devastating. But the difference is that we're doing all of that here. We're becoming stronger because of it. We're closer because of it," He grabbed my hand, and my heart beat a tiny bit faster, "Iris, we're going to get home. We're going to see our families again. We just have to get through this."

I wasn't sure what to say. "Wow- have you been preparing that speech or something?"

Eddy smiled. "Actually, I have. I started when you freaked out the first time and I didn't know what to say to comfort you."

I smiled. Eddy and I stood there for a while, hand in hand, staring at each other. In that moment, I really felt like everything was going to get better. In that moment, some small part of me knew that Eddy cared for me as much as I did for him. We were leaning closer when I suddenly heard someone cry out, "Oh! I adore love stories!"

Eddy and I broke apart quickly to see Haldir, Aragorn, Legolas, and Hallie staring at us. I assumed that Gimli and Liz were off somewhere else- a fact for which I was grateful. It made this a little less embarrassing. I'm sure my face was really red. Hallie half-smiled and rolled her eyes at us. Aragorn was smirking and Legolas looked like he was trying really hard not to laugh- which also made him look a slight bit constipated. Haldir was grinning from ear to ear and giving Eddy the thumbs-up sign. I was so embarrassed that I grabbed my things and walked away quickly. Although...it was nice to hear everyone laughing again. As I was walking towards my bag, I heard Aragorn say, "Pack up, everyone. We're going to see if we can get to Bree by nightfall."

For most of the walk, I tried to avoid Eddy because I didn't want the rest of the group to spend the night gossiping about us. I walked in front of Liz, who walked in front of Hallie, who was the rear of the group again. It was pretty tense back there.

"We'll be arriving in Bree shortly," Aragorn informed us. "We will stay there for the night, then continue on into the Shire. It is still about a days journey until we reach Hobbiton."

By the time the sun was setting, we had arrived at the gates of Bree. Legolas, Aragorn, and Gimli had put on disguises so that they wouldn't be recognized. The gatekeeper was a snaggle-toothed man who looked at us suspiciously but let us pass.

It had started to rain, and we quickly ran into the Prancing Pony for shelter. The famous (at least to us) bar and inn was dark, smoky, and crowded with suspicious people.

Out from behind the counter in front of the entrance popped a cubby, happy looking man wearing an apron. "Good evenin'!" he said. "Welcome to the Prancing Pony. What can I do fer ye?"

"Good evening, Butterbur. We're looking for rooms for the night," Aragorn said quietly.

Butterbur squinted at him. "Strider? Be that you?"

Aragorn put a finger to his lips, but said nothing. Butterbur nodded in understanding. "Ah. I can get ye some rooms. Bit wet tonight, eh?"

We were separated into rooms. Aragorn, Gimli, and Legolas had a room, Eddy and Haldir shared another, and Liz, Hallie, and I were left the last one. It was going to be awkward in our room...

After we put everything in our rooms, we went to get some food. Since we couldn't drink (although we could probably get away with it), we got apple cider, while the adults in the group got a few pints of ale. I sure hope Gimli and Legolas don't get into one of their drinking contests again...

We ate silently. The food wasn't half bad, and I was glad for the hot food. I was afraid that we stood out like a sore thumb, being so silent, but everyone else was too busy to even notice us.

Suddenly, the sound of a bell cut through the air. I don't know why it caught my attention, but it did. The figure who stepped into the inn lowered his hood. He had a disgustingly scarred face.

Beside me, Eddy gasped. "What is it?" I asked, worried.

He looked at me, eyes wide. "It's Raordell!"

**Hallie - May 29th - The Prancing Pony**

"What?" Iris and I half-yelled at the same time.

"It doesn't even look like him!" Iris said, discreetly looking at Raordell over her mug of apple cider.

"I bet he changed his appearance," I said. Then I frowned. "But if he did...how did you recognize him?"

"Well, funny story," Eddy said, lowering his voice. "One day, when I was practicing my sight, I saw that guy," He pointed. "with Iris. I was super confused, because I didn't understand why Iris would like a guy like that. He looked pretty shifty to me. And then I met Raordell again, and he looked different, so I thought it was just my imagination. It was only when I found out that I could see through illusions that I realized that Raordell must have been altering his appearance the entire time!"

"We should tell Aragorn, Legolas, and Gimli," I said, nodding to where the three of them sat, drinking and sharing stories.

Suddenly, Liz got up from her seat. "What are you doing?" I asked, my tone a little harsher than I intended it to be. She didn't answer, but walked past Raordell and out the door. As we watched, Raordell walked out a few minutes later.

Eddy angrily shot up from his chair. "Someone's got to follow her."

Iris pushed him back into his seat. "Sit down! You're calling too much attention to us!"

Sure enough, a few patrons were staring at us after hearing Eddy's outburst. We waited for them to get bored with watching us before I stood up.

"I'll go," I said. I pushed my chair back silently and weaved my way through the tables, walking out the door.

I found myself outside in the dark and the rain. I looked around for a few seconds, and then saw Liz and Raordell standing underneath a lampshade a few blocks away. I made my way closer, being careful to stick to the shadows so they couldn't see me. I didn't want to get into a fight with Raordell. As I neared, I could begin to hear what they were saying.

"What are you doing here?" Liz asked, looking suspicious.

"You didn't think I'd let you stay with them, did you?" Raordell moved a little closer to Liz.

Liz backed up a step. "They let me go. As you can see, I'm still alive."

"Well, I'm glad to hear that. You should still come with me, though."

"Why should I? My friends already don't trust me."

"That's exactly why you should come with me. Your friends don't trust you, and they never will. You'll be even more alone than you were when you were still in Rivendell." Alone? I thought about it for a moment. Liz had been alone. We'd left her out of almost everything we did. If we'd only tried to include her... maybe none of this would have happened.

Liz turned away, arms crossed. "I don't want to betray them, Raordell. Not again."

"You honestly think I'm the bad guy? Liz, I helped you learn how to use your powers!" Raordell was almost pleading. As pleading as you could be... when you were the bad guy.

"I know. And thank you for that. But I'm not coming with you."

"Something great is coming, Liz. If you survive it, you're going to regret your rejection of me."

And Raordell disappeared. Liz sighed and her shoulders sagged. I hadn't realized how much this had all gotten to her until now. Liz walked back into the Pony, and I followed.

"Where's Hallie?" I heard her ask.

"I was in the bathroom," I said, walking up.

"Bathroom, my foot," Liz mumbled. "You were spying on me, weren't you?"

"We just wanted to make sure you were okay."

"No, you don't care what happens to me. You just wanted to make sure I didn't run off with Raordell again."

"He was controlling you before. And he was trying to manipulate you! What if next time you try to kill Iris? Or Eddy? They're not invulnerable! They would actually die!"

Iris looked around and said quietly, "Let's take this somewhere a little more private, please?"

Silently, the four of us stood up and headed to our room. Liz slammed the door shut. "You guys don't trust me anymore!"

"Of course we don't!" Eddy shot back. "You tried to kill us."

"I was confused! Raordell was manipulating me so that I thought the elves were trying to kill me!"

"Why did you leave with that idiot anyways?" Eddy asked angrily.

"I didn't know he would turn out evil! Besides, you guys were all busy with your mentors! Why couldn't I discover and harness my own abilities?"

"Oh, so this is our fault?"

"Yes! If you hadn't been such terrible friends, maybe this wouldn't have happened!"

"We were not terrible friends! We have a right to shape our abilities too! We were caught up in everything that was happening!"

"So you thought you could just ignore me? Why are you blaming me? Aragorn or Arwen could have been evil too! Maybe they're really shadewalkers in disguise!"

"Hey!" I interrupted. "Don't bring Aragorn into this! He's the greatest fighter I've ever seen! Not that I've met many swordsmen, but still... Leave our mentors out of this! We need to settle this amongst ourselves!"

My friends wouldn't listen. "Arwen's done nothing but treat you well," Iris said. "And now you're saying she's evil? What's gotten into you?"

"What's gotten into you? You're the one who fell in love with Raordell in the first place!"

Iris stopped, looking like she had just been slapped in the face. Then she ran out of the room, sobbing.

Eddy turned on Liz, fury in his eyes. "Look what you've done! You've destroyed our friendship! Why can't you pay more attention to our feelings! Iris just had her heart broken and you're being so insensitive!"

"Insensitive! Insensitive! Look who's being insensitive! I was manipulated and taken away from you guys, dragged across the forest, and then forced to kill thirty-some elves and almost hurt my friend! Ever since I've gotten back, you guys have done nothing but treat me like I'm a piece of trash and I'm done with it! I've been through a lot too, but since I made one wrong decision, you guys treat me like a heartless waste of your time!"

"You. Tried. To. Kill. Hallie," Eddy said with gritted teeth. "How do you think we're supposed to treat you? You're a murderer, and I don't respect people like that!"

"Take a look in the mirror, hotshot! You've killed people too! How many lives did you take on that battlefield? Huh?"

"That's different..." Eddy started.

"Oh, so just because they're monsters, doesn't make it killing? It's the same thing. Raordell made me think the elves were coming to kill me, and that if I didn't kill them first, I'd be dead! You were thinking the same thing out there too! Admit it!"

"Monsters are vile creatures! You killed the elves! They're completely good and innocent!" Eddy shouted.

"How do you know the monsters weren't forced to fight? Maybe they really just want to go home!"

"Guys, calm down," I tried to intervene, but they both turned on me, furious. When was I ever going to learn?

"I... am... completely...calm!" shouted Eddy.

"Yeah... I can see that." I decided to go and find Iris. Maybe Eddy and Liz would be able to yell their problems out. Hopefully without killing each other...

They continued their argument, not even noticing when I left. I rushed to find Iris - anything could happen when my friends were like this, and I needed to get back as soon as possible.

I ran down the hall, where people were poking their heads out of their rooms in annoyance. There was one hobbit wearing a nightcap who was grumbling about "old married couples" disturbing his sleep. On normal circumstances, that would have been funny. Unfortunately, at the moment, the "old married couple" was about to kill each other. So I ran even faster down the hall until I reached Eddy and Haldir's room, where I thought Iris might be.

I opened the door and saw Iris laying on Eddy's bed. "Iris," I said, "I need you to come back. Eddy and Liz are going to kill each other- and I figure if we're going to have a mass serial session here, you might as well be a part of it."

She looked up at me with a piercing glare. "I'm not moving. Let them kill each other. It's no different from what we've been doing lately. See if I care."

I sat down next to her. "Look," I said, "Just please come back? I have something I need to tell you all."

Iris got up reluctantly and walked down the hall with me. When we arrived back at our room, Eddy had his arrow knocked and Liz had a knife formed in her hands. I closed the door and screamed, "What are you doing? Are you crazy?" I turned to Eddy. "You. You're talking about how people shouldn't kill their friends, and what are you doing now?" Then I turned to Liz. "And you. You're talking about regaining our trust? Well, you're making a pretty bad effort right now."

Everyone fell silent. Eddy dropped his arrow and fell to his knees, looking at his hands in shock. Liz did the same, letting her knife dissipate. "Okay," I said, slowly, "I've got something I need to say. Everything's been changing lately. And in this crazy world, the one thing I expected to remain steady was our friendship. I figured that if I could trust anyone to have my back over here, it would be you guys. I thought I knew who my friends were, but I guess I don't." I paused. "You guys disgust me right now. Just- what- three weeks ago, we were all happy as clams. And then we come here," I gestured around me, "and we face some real struggles, and now look at us. We're falling apart. Think about what you're doing to each other- and to yourselves. I don't care if you don't like each other anymore, but at the very least, could you manage to act civil around each other so we can finish this quest? Then you can all run rampage through the streets trying to kill each other. I just don't care anymore."

I stopped, taking a deep breath. "That's all I have to say. Work everything out amongst yourselves, and when you're ready to talk, find me."

I walked out of the room and down the stairs at the end of the hall. I left via the front door and stood outside in the rain. I couldn't see the stars. Not even the moon managed to fight its way through these thick clouds. I sank down onto the wet ground outside the Prancing Pony and leaned up against the wall, staring out into the night.

I was still sitting there thirty minutes later when the door opened. I turned around, hoping it would be one of my friends, but it was Aragorn.

He sat down next to me and stared out across Bree for a little bit with me. "So..." he began, somewhat awkwardly, "What was it all about?"

"Well... Raordell came back." I said. Aragorn looked surprised and almost got up and ran off to kill somebody or whatever, but I stopped him. "But he's gone now. When he came, Liz went out to talk to him, and I followed her to make sure she wasn't going to run away again or something. When she came back, she freaked out on me about following her and then the whole thing went downhill from there. Insults were flying this way and that." I sighed. "And then I gave this long speech about friendship and all that, trying to calm them down and all, but now that I'm sitting out here, I realize I haven't been a very good friend lately either."

Aragorn looked at me. "Sometimes life is like that- crazy and chaotic. But it's those times that make us who we are. You and your friends have been through a lot in these past weeks. Either this makes you stronger or it breaks you."

I thought about that for a long time. Aragorn just sat there next to me silently and we stared up at the night sky. Eventually, the rain stopped, and the skies began to clear. And I could suddenly see the moon.

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**Oh my... Raordell came back. I wonder... do you think he'll reappear again? **


	16. The Shire

**Hello! Apparently that last chapter was super exciting... so here come the thank yous for favoriting, reviewing, and following! :D Thanks to: TheFlyingHobbit, Fishpuppy, NinaAMAM, horseyyay, and Applejack456. My comrade and I are very grateful that you are reading our story. It keeps us going when we feel discouraged. We also would like you to know now that this is not the only story we will be writing with Hallie, Liz, Eddy, and Iris, so keep a wary eye on the horizon for a trilogy and more of their mischief! ;)**

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**Liz - May 30th - On the way to Brandywine River**

Last night had been horrible. I had almost killed two of my friends in the span of only a few days. What had gotten into me? Why had I become such a horrible person? Before we had come to Middle Earth, I would never have killed anyone. Never would have even thought about it. And now...I had become a murderer of innocents.

Suddenly, shadewalking didn't seem so exciting anymore.

Iris had spent the night sobbing. I had gone to bed straight after our fight, but I hadn't fallen asleep. When Hallie walked in later on, I pretended to be asleep.

Luckily for us, the patrons had only heard the fight, but not what we were saying. They had loudly complained to Butterbur, and we quickly left the next day. I was afraid that Aragorn would give us a lecture, but he took one look at our faces and seemed to decide that he should just leave us alone. I was grateful. I didn't really want to be reminded again of how badly I had messed up this time around.

Aragorn had filled me in on Elrond's letter and everything that had happened while I was gone. None of us talked to each other on the way to the Shire. For once, our little fellowship was completely silent. I wanted to apologize to my friends, but I didn't know how to start, or whether or not they would forgive me. I was the reason that the puzzle pieces were separated, and I didn't know what glue to use to put them back.

"Listen, Liz..." To my surprise, it was Iris who approached me first. "I'm really sorry about blaming you... During the battle, I really did feel like I didn't know you at all. You were so different. But I know how manipulative Raordell can be... and I'm also sorry for not being such a great friend."

I dropped my head in shame, but felt a rush of gratitude. "You're a great friend, Iris. It's me who wasn't. I'm sorry too. I really don't know what to say or do to make you guys trust me again... I wish that everything could go back to the way it was. I understand if you don't forgive me."

I felt Iris put her hand on my arm. "You know...you're one of my best friends. I admit that it will be hard to forgive you, but the important thing is that you're back. It wasn't your fault that Raordell manipulated you and made the elves shoot at you and everything."

"I almost killed Hallie," I whispered. "It could just as easily have been you, or Eddy."

"But it wasn't." I looked up to see Iris' tentative smile. "And it'll never happen again. I know it won't."

"Thanks," I said softly. "For...believing in me."

"I always have." I managed to smile back at Iris. It wasn't a full recovery; we would always have scars, but it was a first step.

The only problem? I could literally feel Eddy's glare boring into my back.

"We'll be arriving at the Brandywine River shortly," Aragorn informed us. "Unfortunately, the ferryman may not let us pass."

"Why not?" Eddy asked.

Aragorn smiled ruefully. "Hobbits are quite wary of the race of men. Especially after the scouring of the Shire. After that, it took them a while to get back to normal. They're not very lenient with allowing full-grown men to waltz into their homes again. "

"Well...that's inconvenient," Eddy said.

"So...fun-sized people are allowed?" Iris asked. Of course - Iris is the most "fun-sized" person in the entire group.

"We will have to wait and see," Aragorn said, but he offered her a small smile.

Soon enough, we heard the sound of water. It was a soothing, trickling sound, and I wished all my troubles could wash away like that. A call rang out over the water. "Ho! Who goes there!" Across the wide river, there was a ferryman, stationed slightly in the middle of the water.

"Travelers!" Aragorn called back. "Seeking entrance to the Shire!"

"State your business! We're not keen on allowing Men to simply walk into our home." The hobbit called back.

"I am well aware," Aragorn muttered. "Edward, would you mind taking a look at our hobbit for me?"

"Um...sure..." Eddy looked out over the water, pupils dilated in that creepy manner.

"Describe him for me, if you please," Aragorn said.

"He has curly hair and a round-ish face...," Eddy started.

Aragorn sighed. "Well, you just described the entire Shire! How tall is he? Can you guess?"

"Well...he's about...four and a half feet, I'd say," Eddy said.

"Ah," Aragorn said, as if that explained everything. "Would you be willing to make an exception for an old friend?" he called out to the hobbit.

"Wait...I know that voice..." The hobbit began steering the ferry in our direction. Beside me, Aragorn lowered his hood. As the hobbit came into our line of sight, we saw him more clearly. He was wearing a suit made of shades of yellow and green, along with a wide smile on his face. He looked pretty cute...with the cheeky smile and all... DO. NOT. SQUEAL. I tried to force myself to stay calm. It was working. Sort of.

"Why...it's Strider! Er...I mean...King Aragorn!"

"Shush, Meriadoc. Not quite so loud. The entire Shire does not need to know of my arrival. Can my companions and I enter now?"

"Of course! I wouldn't dream of refusing the King of Gondor himself."

"Merry is driving the ferry...," Hallie muttered. "Funny how that works..." And even though things still weren't right between us, I burst out laughing. It was like the floodgates had opened. We all doubled over laughing (except for the older members of our fellowship, who just looked at each other because they were used to this). I guess the Shire just has that effect on people.

At one point, we all heard Merry ask, "Err...will they be alright?" That just made us laugh even harder.

Eventually, we stopped laughing. Eddy quickly looked away, but Hallie and Iris offered me a small smile. Things were definitely looking brighter.

Merry ferried us across, and we got our first look of the Shire. Everything was so green and flowers were blooming everywhere. Hobbits stared at us, but they seemed to recognize Aragorn and left us alone.

"So what brings you here?" Merry asked.

"We're looking for Samwise Gamgee. Is he home?"

"Ah, you're just in luck," Merry answered. "He just came back from a short trip."

"We will also need a place to stay," Aragorn informed him.

"I'm sure Rosie will be happy to take you in."

"Ah...how is Rosie and her family? I haven't seen her since she got married."

"They're happy and well with their children. Three of them, so far. The youngest, Rose, was born only a couple of months ago. She's such a happy bouncing little lass. I think she likes me the best. Rosie and Sam are even talking about naming their next child after me!"

Hallie half-choked. "Three?"

I had almost forgotten. While Iris is the miracle worker when it comes to kids, Hallie... well, she's pretty much only a fan if they're smart enough to hold a conversation, even if for a limited time. I'm slightly better, but still not very good at dealing with the them. Eddy...well, he has two little half-sisters at home. I'm sure he's fine with kids.

"We don't wish to intrude," Aragorn said.

"Oh, but I insist," a new voice said.

We turned around to face a hobbit-lass with curly light-brown hair, holding a child on her hip. It took me a moment, but then I realized who she was. Rosie... Gamgee... do not faint do not faint do not faint. I almost fainted. I'm glad I didn't, because it would not have been a very good end to a very bad week.

Aragorn bowed slightly. "Then it would be our pleasure." Rosie smiled and made a little curtsy. It was pretty good, especially because she was holding a little hobbit baby girl too (who was adorable, by the way).

Rosie led us all back to her house. We all had to duck to get through the door. Rosie called out, "Elanor! Frodo! We have visitors!"

A beautiful girl of four years old with golden hair came running out, followed closely by a two year old brown-haired hobbit boy who was struggling to keep up with his older sister. They looked at us, wide-eyed. Frodo hid behind his mother's skirts while Elanor boldly stared at us. They were probably shocked that we were so tall... I kind of smiled. I had only rarely ever been thought of as "tall".

"Elanor, stop staring. It's very rude," Rosie reprimanded.

Elanor seemed to ignore her, still looking at us with wide-eyed innocence. "Who're they, Mama?" she asked, pointing at us.

"Friends of Papa," Rosie answered. Elanor kept staring at us. "Go on now, Elanor. Go outside and play."

"Merry, what're you doing here?" a voice said. Merry had walked into the house (I assumed in the direction of the kitchen), as soon as we had walked in.

"Ah, Sam, there you are! Ye've got some visitors."

"Visitors? Of what sort?"

"Why don't ye see for yerself?" Their voices got nearer.

"Rosie, what on earth is going -" Sam stopped and his face split into a wide smile. "Strider!" Then he looked at my friends and I. "And who're these young folks?"

"They're travelers from a distant land, all very gifted," Aragorn said, smiling. Then he grew serious. "Lord Elrond gifted us with a quest and he told us you had the Secret to this quest."

"I don't know about no secret," Sam said, looking confused.

"What?!" We all shouted.

**Eddy - May 31st - The Shire**

It turned out that Sam had no idea what we were talking about. We tried to jog his memory, but nothing worked. Maybe there wasn't even a prophecy. Maybe Elrond had been slightly insane when he wrote that letter.

I was sitting under an apple tree, watching some little hobbit children playing, when I heard the voice of the last person I wanted to see. "Hey, Eddy." Liz. Hearing her voice just made the day even worse. We had spent all of yesterday scouring Sam's house to see if Gandalf had somehow hid something with his wizard powers, only for Sam to absentmindedly mention the fact that they had moved since Frodo had left. Great. If Gandalf had hidden something, hopefully it was portable. I hadn't gotten a lot of sleep, so I was cranky and tired.

"What do you want?" I asked harshly.

Liz sat down next to me, and I turned so that my back was facing her. "Listen Eddy...about what happened with Raordell..."

"If you're looking for forgiveness, you're not going to get any." Okay, so maybe I was a little harsh. But Liz had taken our friendship and stomped on it. She acted like we hadn't been friends since middle school. And people had died. "I'm not going to talk to you anymore, because I won't be able to stay civil. That's all I'm going to give you. We're not friends anymore."

"I know. I just wanted you to know that...well...I'm sorry. I know you probably don't care, but I hope you realize that." A few moments later, I heard her get up and leave.

"You should forgive her, you know." I looked up to see Iris. "She's hurting, Eddy. All three of us need to be there for her. Even Hallie's started to forgive her."

I looked back down at my feet. "I don't know why I can't forgive her. It's like...I don't know how to express it. It's just that...my friends are some of the most important people in my life, and when they become something they're not...it just... annoys me. You know?"

Iris knelt down beside me and put her hand on my shoulder. "I know just how you feel. It's not easy, but will you try? For me? Please?"

I sighed. For the sake of our friendship...and Iris...well, I guess I would give my best effort. "I'll try."

She smiled at me. "Thanks, Eddy. You're a good friend."

Oh. Friend. What a wonderful word. But maybe that was all I'd ever be. For the rest of the morning, we lay there, on the grass, looking up at the clouds in comfortable silence.

That is...until the entire Shire got into an uproar. All of a sudden, there were a bunch of hobbits running around, calling, "Frodo! Frodo!"

"What's going on?" I asked a random hobbit woman.

She looked at me with panic in her eyes. "Little Frodo Gamgee's gone missing!"

Iris looked at me. "We have to find him! It's almost dark! He must be terrified!" She ran off.

"Actually," I mumbled to myself. "He probably thinks it's an adventure. Runs in the family."

I decided I should help anyways. I didn't have anything better to do. But where should I start? The Shire is pretty big, and Frodo could be anywhere. I had a feeling that he probably hadn't wandered off too far, though. He couldn't walk very well, so he was going to be somewhere close.

I tried to think about when I was a little kid. I would often wander off when my mom took me to the store, but why? It was usually because I saw an interesting toy or something I wanted. That didn't really help me. Could Frodo be at home? I would often hide in closets, but I was sure Rosie had probably scoured the place. Still...no one had seen him anywhere. I asked around, and nobody had seen him - not even the kids.

I decided to try the house again - maybe Rosie had missed something, or Frodo had moved or something. I used to play hide-and-seek like that. I'd hide in a room, and when someone came in to inspect that room, I would quietly sneak out and go into another room. I walked into the house, which was silent. Everyone was outside looking for Frodo, I guessed.

I stood at the entrance foyer for a moment, my shoulders slightly hunched so I wouldn't hit my head on the ceiling. Then, I thought I heard a giggle. I turned, but no one was there. I tried to listen for footsteps, but there were none. Maybe it had just been t my imagination? And then I remembered one of Liz's lectures that she had given us a year ago, during lunch at school.

"Hobbits have big hairy feet," she had said. "And they don't have to wear shoes, because the soles of their feet are kinda leathery. They can also sneak around really quietly without being detected. That's why Bilbo was called a burglar - he was like a ninja."

So maybe Frodo was really in the house, but he had tricked everyone, even his mother, into thinking he wasn't there. He probably thought it was one great game of hide-and-seek.

I knew that Frodo was just going to run away if I went after him, so instead, I went to the kitchen. Rosie had been baking cherry pies, and she had put them out on the counter to cool. There were two pies sitting on the counter. Wait a second. Weren't there three pies? I thought. Then I saw that there was chair by the counter, along with a sticky handprint. Interesting.

I sat down on the chair and closed my eyes, pretending fall asleep. I evened my breathing and listened as hard as I could. Soon enough (before I actually fell asleep), I could slightly hear the quiet patter of tiny feet. I opened my eyes slightly and sure enough, there was Frodo's chubby face. At the moment, he was looking quite mischievous. I closed my eyes again, waiting for him to come closer before I could apprehend him.

The instant I felt a sticky hand on my leg, my eyes popped open and I grabbed for Frodo. "Got'cha!"

Frodo squealed and wriggled out of my grasp. "Hey! Come back here!" I yelled, quickly jumping up in pursuit. While Frodo's legs were short and stubby, I still had quite a disadvantage. The ceiling was not very high, and I kept having to duck as I ran. Plus, there was a lot of clutter and furniture everywhere. Believe me - it's not a very pleasant experience. And that kid could run fast. Before I knew it, he had run into a room and locked himself inside.

"Oh brother," I muttered. Luckily, I knew how to handle a situation like this. My half-sisters always liked to lock themselves in their rooms whenever I babysat them (why my parents let them have locks in the first place, I'll never know), and I always had to get them out before my parents got home. It actually happened a lot, and I learned to be prepared. I always had a spare paperclip in my pocket, in case I, or someone else, got stuck somewhere. I had even remembered to transfer my paperclip from my jeans to my Middle Earth clothing.

And then I realized that keyholes in Middle Earth are probably a lot different from the ones in the real world. Suddenly, a brilliant idea came to me. Maybe I can use my sight to figure out how to unlock this, I thought. I blinked three times, and I peered into the keyhole. Aha. The lock wasn't too different, and it was easy to figure out how to open it. Within moments, I had opened the door, revealing a study.

Frodo squealed when he saw me, trying to run out the door. "Oh, no you don't!" I said, grabbing him by the waist. Frodo wriggled, and got sticky stains on my shirt, but I held tight.

Rosie came running up, followed by Iris. "Frodo! There you are! You are in a world of trouble!" Frodo started bawling, and Rosie picked him up, scolding him as she went down the hall.

"How did you find him?" Iris asked.

"I kinda...followed my instincts," I answered.

"You'd be a great parent," Iris mused absentmindedly. Insert awkward moment here... My face turned red. Imagine having a family with Iris...Wait. That's never going to happen. Stop thinking about it. To distract myself, I walked into the study. On the top of the desk, there was a red book. It was the book that Bilbo had written the story of the Hobbit, Frodo had written the Lord of the Rings, and given to Sam. You know...how did Tolkien get the stories anyway? What, did he come to Middle Earth too and copy the red book?

Anyways, we had paged through this book to see if there was any hidden messages, but we hadn't found anything. I decided to go through it again. I hadn't really had any time to read through it, and there were some interesting pictures I wanted to look at.

I flipped through. The first picture I came across was a map of the Shire. Iris peered over my shoulder, got bored, and went to stare at a drawing of the Gamgee family. While I examined the map, my hands fingered the edge of the front cover.

It was a really detailed map. Bilbo was really talented. I was about to turn the page when my hand brushed against a paper. "Shoot," I muttered, when I realized that I had absentmindedly peeled up some of the paper that was glued to the cover of the book. I flipped all the pages over so I could examine the cover. In my opinion, it was pretty badly glued. There was a slight bump in the middle, and although it wasn't obvious at first, now it looked pretty bad.

I ran my hand over it. It feels like there's something under here, I mused. Wait. I suddenly had an idea. Bilbo had given this book to Frodo, who had given it to Sam. What if Gandalf had somehow put a secret in the book, knowing that I would find it? I carefully peeled off the paper, and there was an envelope. Excitedly, I grabbed it, dropping the book on the floor. On the flap of the envelope, the words "For an Unexpected Journey" were written. Well, our journey was unexpected, I thought.

I took out the piece of paper, revealing... "Numbers?" I exclaimed, dismayed.

* * *

**Cliffhanger! Oh, I'm mean, aren't I? (Mwahahahahahaha!) What do you think is going to happen next?**


	17. Is Algebra actually useful?

**Goodness. Sorry it took so long to update, but these numbers took forever. Gosh. So... we've finally figured out that you probably have no idea what our OCs look like, so we decided to be nice and give you some quick descriptions here. You can also go back and read the re-edited first chapter if you'd like.**

**Hallie McTaggert, 16 (Birthday: March 23)**

**Hair: Blonde**

**Eyes: Grey-Blue**

**Height: 5'3"**

**Elizabeth Callahan, 15 (Birthday: August 28)**

**Hair: Dark brown (it almost looks black)**

**Eyes: Brown**

**Height: 5'3"**

**Iris Lacour, 16 (Birthday: December 13)**

**Hair: Chestnut brown**

**Eyes: Green**

**Height: 5'**

**Edward Kennedy, 15 (Birthday: June 12)**

**Hair: Blonde**

**Eyes: Blue**

**Height: 5'7"**

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**Iris - May 31st - Hobbiton**

"Numbers?" I heard Eddy exclaim. What? Why is he talking about numbers?

"Numbers? What are you talking about?" I walked over to see what he was looking at. It was a piece of paper with a long string of numbers. "Where did you get that?"

"It was in the red book," Eddy said, picking it up. "I thought it might be something important - see, it has 'For an Unexpected Journey' written on it."

"It kind of looks like a list of combinations... Maybe we should show the others. We can put our heads together. It's possible that it's a code."

"You're right," Eddy agreed. "Let's go!"

We ran out of the study. Soon enough, we found Hallie, and showed her the letter.

"You're right. It definitely looks like a code."

We found Liz in her room, and we all crowded around the letter on the floor. Eddy and Liz were actually working together to figure out what kind of code it was. After half-an-hour, though, we still couldn't figure it out.

"There's something we're missing," Liz said.

"No duh," Eddy said, frustrated.

Hallie was looking at the envelope. "Hey, Liz," she said. "What was the subtitle for the Hobbit?"

"Or, There, and Back Again," Liz answered, looking confused. "Why?"

"No, not for the book. The movie."

"Oh. An Unexpected Journey. Part 1 anyways. Part 2 is called -"

"We get it," Eddy interrupted. "Why are you asking, Hallie?"

"I think this is one of those book codes. The first number is the page number. The second is the line, and the third is the word."

"Oh, I get it!" Eddy exclaimed. "But...if the numbers are based off the Hobbit...we're going to have a problem. We don't have the Hobbit with us."

"And even if we did, the numbers probably wouldn't match up, without the right version and all," I added. Then I noticed that Liz had left the room. "Hey, where'd Liz go?"

Eddy shrugged, still focused on the numbers in front of him. "Who cares. She probably got bored. You know how she is with problems like these. She can never figure out riddles and codes."

"Actually, I solved the problem for once." We looked up to see Liz, holding up the big red book. "Bilbo technically wrote the Hobbit. I bet that's what the message is based off of."

"Great thinking, Liz," Hallie said, taking the book eagerly. "We can try it, and see if it makes sense."

"Okay. Hallie, you can page through the book, and Eddy, you'll tell her the numbers," Liz said.

"You can't tell me what to do," Eddy muttered.

Hallie lightly hit her head to the book (similar to a facepalm, but with a book - facebook, haha). "Eddy. We don't have time for this. Just listen to her!"

"Fine," Eddy grumbled.

"Iris, you copy down the message as Hallie finds the words," Liz continued. I nodded.

"What are you going to do?" I asked.

"I'm going to hunt around Sam's study to see if there's anything interesting there."

"Are you sure you'll be able to handle that?" Eddy asked. I groaned. Not again.

Liz narrowed her eyes. "What do you mean by that?"

Hallie did another "facebook", and groaned. "Come on, guys. I thought we agreed to be civil. Liz, not that I don't trust you, but maybe you and Eddy should just switch jobs."

Liz looked like she wanted to protest - she never liked giving up on a fight - but she evidently decided that it wasn't worth the trouble. She sat down with a huff, grabbed the letter from Eddy, and started reading the numbers.

5-14-4 99-16-7

91-8-5 51-1-11 123-3-6 247-21-13 91-4-6 167-18-12 71-8-4 155-6-1 81-27-3 114-21-3 195-10-4 56-24-8 138-5-10 1-6-10 6-24-3 / 2-14-7 115-17-4 195-4-6 43-16-6 5-16-4 / 138-33-10 250-3-2 91-1-4 108-24-1 205-15-9 27-5-5 283-2-5 3-19-9 99-24-6 157-7-8 53-13-5 190-21-9 83-15-13 264-18-7 12-10-9 214-12-8 / 181-4-9 133-3-4 26-1-11 /

29-25-1 305-23-4 153-27-9 4-6-10

After a really tedious process (Eddy had come back halfway through the letter and sat there, bored), we finally figured out the entire thing. "Dear traveler," I read. "I have seen the shadows of things that will come to pass in Middle Earth. People who do not belong. Journey to the moonlit gates, and there, you shall discover the way to set things right. Best of Luck. Yours, Gandalf the White."

We sat there in awed silence for a few minutes. I couldn't believe that we had just received a message from Gandalf. Then again, we'd gotten a message from Elrond a few weeks ago. Our list of people we'd received mysterious and cryptic messages from was getting pretty impressive. "So..." I started, trying to break the silence, "What do you think it means?"

"It means we have to go to these 'moonlit gates' to 'set things right'," Eddy said sarcastically.

"We know that," Hallie sighed, "We need to know where the moonlit gates are, though."

Eddy looked at Hallie. "You're not actually thinking of going, are you?"

Hallie looked taken aback. "Why wouldn't we? We just got a mission from Gandalf!"

"Because we had a mission from Elrond to find Liz, and look where that got us! I think we should just leave Middle Earth to its own devices and go home. Why were we sucked into this, anyway?" Eddy grumbled.

"We can't go home, Eddy," I said, "We have no idea how to get home. So, you know what they say, there's no way through but through. We're just going to have to keep going, and if that means accepting another mission from Gandalf, I'm all in."

"Well, then," Eddy replied, still grumpy, "Where are we headed? Where are these... moonlit gates, anyway?"

"Moria," Liz spoke up. We all turned to look at her. Until now, she had been practically silent. She glanced up at us and then pointed to the Red Book in front of her. "It all makes sense. See? The gates of Moria are only visible in moonlight. I don't think that moonlit from the letter means lit like the moon, but lit by the moon. So we have to travel to Moria."

"Okay," Hallie said slowly, "Moria it is. I'll go get the rest of the group and tell them we'll leave in the morning."

"Are you kidding me? You're just going to trust her? She could be leading us into a death trap, for all we know! She could be meeting up with Raordell and planning to kill us!" Eddy was almost yelling.

"I'm right here," Liz mumbled. Hallie and Eddy paid no attention.

"Yes, I am going to trust her. She knows the books- and this world- better than any of us. She's been with us through thick and thin, and it was only because she thought Raordell was going to train her in her skills that she left us. What if you didn't have Haldir? Would you have gone with him?"

Eddy opened his mouth to say something but Hallie interrupted. "You know what...I can't believe you. You're not willing to see things in her shoes. We practically forced her to leave because we were so focused on our cool new powers. So get your act together, Eddy. We're headed to Moria, and it's your choice whether you come with us or not."

Hallie grabbed the code and the deciphered letter and walked out of the study. Liz just continued to stare at the Red Book. "That was uncalled for, Eddy," I said. "If it were you in Liz' place, you'd be at the throat of someone who said that to you. You'd be begging for us to trust you. But Liz is so much more composed and mature than you are. I can't believe you're acting like such a child."

"The world isn't all butterflies and daisies, Iris. Sometimes the people closest to you turn on you. Forgive me for being practical, and not trusting everyone on a whim. This isn't like reading the books. You can't turn a page and skip the blood and gore. We're stuck in it, and we could die. This is real. Forgive me for trying to help everyone to remember that." Eddy got up and left, and it was just me and Liz in the study.

"Thanks," Liz said, quietly. "I know it's going to take a long time to trust me again, but thanks... for still being my friend."

"You're welcome. I only hope you'd do the same for me."

Liz nodded and silently stood up and walked out the door. For the first time in weeks, I was alone. And not just alone physically, but mentally. It felt like my friends and I were growing so far apart. I mean, I read all these books where friends get caught in a journey together, and go through all of these trials, and they just get closer and closer. But instead, we were growing farther and farther apart.

I sat there for a while, thinking about home, and friends, and family. I thought about books, and life, and magic. I thought about what it means to be a friend. And I thought about what it means to be brave and strong. What it means to be caring and loving. And what it means to be in love.

People sometimes say that the feelings that teenagers experience "aren't real" or "aren't strong". But I can tell you that all the waves of emotion that washed over me that night were definitely real. And they were strong. I spent that night drowning in a wave of emotion.

Wondering if anyone was going to rescue me.

**Hallie - June 1st - Traveling to Moria (Oh joy)**

More walking. Gosh, how I love walking for hours on end. Especially when your friends aren't talking to each other.

I was so tired of the drama that I ditched them and walked up front with Aragorn, Legolas, and Gimli for a change. Gimli was going on and on about the glory of Moria- at least, when it was glorious. According to Gimli, they were having a hard time rebuilding the desolate city. They'd finally managed to drive the goblins out, but the goblins had left a lot of damage behind. And when dwarves are having a hard time rebuilding something, you pretty much know that all the construction crews in the world wouldn't be able to hold one room together. It was fun listening to Gimli and Legolas recount their stories from the times they'd visited Moria to help with the rebuilding process.

"So me cousin is up on the ceiling, chipping away at the stone, when pretty-boy over here swings over and knocks him off his ladder!" Gimli shouted, laughing.

"I believe it was your cousin who swung over and hit me, making him lose his balance," Legolas replied.

"The dwarves were trusting an elf to help them? What has this world come to?" Aragorn chuckled.

"I was cleaning some of the cobwebs out of the corners. No sense harboring spiders."

Gimli glared at him. "Whatever you say, Master Elf," he looked back over at me, "And so me cousin Candir is falling down, so his sons Goffer and Leapor have to grab the emergency net and go get him. Meanwhile, the elf is losing his precious balance-"

I laughed. Beside me, Legolas rolled his eyes. "The only time I ever have or ever will lose my balance."

"And so suddenly he's falling too, but Goffer and Leapor are catching Candir, so I can't do anything but watch as the elf tumbles down, down, down. And then, he lands in Madame Keti's empty basket- she was carting rocks around. I swear, it was love at first sight!" Gimli doubled over in laughter and Aragorn chuckled.

"It was horrible," Legolas said. "I couldn't be separated from her for the next two weeks. I'm almost scared to go back, if she's there again."

That only made Gimli laugh harder. I smiled. It was nice to be part of a group that wasn't constantly fighting. I wondered how they did it. How they traveled across Middle Earth, fighting crime and losing friends and family, but still managing to keep their friendship. I wished that my friendship was as strong as theirs.

"So, Hallie, do you have any interesting stories?" I was awakened from my thoughts by Legolas tapping my shoulder.

"None as interesting as yours, of course, but we've had some previous adventures." I smiled. I told them of the time we'd accidentally exploded a cello in the middle of an orchestra concert (explaining what a cello was was interesting), and about the time we got stuck in some underground caves on a trip to an island off the coast of California and had to be rescued by the police. We spent the next couple of hours exchanging stories, and it was the most fun I'd had in weeks. It certainly made the long walk plenty more entertaining.

Liz walked behind us, lost in her thoughts. I felt bad that she was being so left out, but any time I tried to bring her into the conversation, she gave a half-hearted reply and didn't say much else. Eddy and Iris walked a little bit behind her, Eddy's mistrusting eyes following Liz' every move. I could tell that Iris was pretty mad at Eddy for acting so harshly to Liz, but no one really wants to walk alone. Haldir was scouting ahead and then doubling back, reporting to Aragorn every quarter hour or so.

We stopped about an hour and a half after the sun disappeared beneath the horizon. Legolas pulled some lembas out of his bag (upon seeing this, we all inwardly groaned), and Gimli started a fire for warmth, since we were heading into the colder parts of Middle Earth. Dinner was eaten in an awkward silence and the air was so filled with tension you could have cut out a block and served it with the lembas.

"So... how's everyone's lives going?" I tried to break the silence. I had always been awkward in social situations. But this was different. It was about ten times more awkward than any situation I'd ever been in, and there was a distinct possibility that if this went the wrong way, someone could get maimed. Aragorn and Legolas looked up at me, curious, as if they didn't understand that this was my usual way to attempt at starting a conversation. Gimli didn't really notice- he was too busy trying to not eat the lembas in a "polite" manner. Eddy sort of glared at me, as if saying, Where have you been the past couple of weeks? Liz didn't say anything. She could obviously feel Eddy continuing to glare at her back. Iris, however, somehow managed to ignore the awkwardness of the dinner.

"Oh, my life is going swell. I wouldn't say the same thing about my love life, of course, but we can't all be perfect." She smiled at me, and I smiled back, thankful that at least we were speaking to each other in a friendly manner again. "How's yours?"

"Wonderful," I said, "I'm traveling across Middle Earth with a bunch of socially awkward people. You know what our next stop is? Moria! It's quite dark in there, so we plan to catch some fireflies in a jar to light the way. And if we can't find the fireflies, we plan to use the glittering fairies from Flutterfield!" I wasn't looking at Aragorn, but I could feel the strange look he was giving me.

Iris laughed. "And when we get there," she said in between giggles, "we're going to ride the magical bunnies over the rainbow to find the Secret and save the world!"

We both burst out laughing. Gimli stood. "See now," he grumbled, "there are no magical bunnies in Moria. Or rainbows either. I'm sorry to disappoint you ladies, but that's the way it is."

That just made Iris and I laugh harder. The rest of our little Fellowship just stared at us, but I glimpsed Liz smiling once or twice. When everything finally calmed down, we helped to clean up and set out our bedrolls. I caught sight of a good climbing tree at the edge of our camp, so while no one was looking, I scaled the tree and found myself a spot among the branches. By this time, it was completely dark out, the only light coming from the stars and the moon.

I found it funny that I was staring at the very same stars that Frodo, Eowyn, and Gandalf had seen, years ago, when they were only starting their journey. I had this very peculiar feeling that I was also only starting a journey of my own. And yet I've already been through so much... how could I possibly be only at the beginning of my journey?

I wondered what those people had thought as they stared at those stars. Were they as scared and confused as I was? Or did they already know their paths? Aragorn had told me more than once not to doubt myself. But I still continued to do so. How was I supposed to be some great warrior if I couldn't even keep my friendship together?

Then I kind of chuckled at the absurdity of the situation. A few weeks ago, I was worried about my grades and who was going to sign my yearbook. Now, here I was, worrying about becoming a battle-hardened warrior. Looking back at my life, I chastised myself for worrying about such trivial things as grades and clothes and guys. I smiled a bit and then pulled out my travel journal. Our teacher, Mr. Smith (I'd almost forgotten about him), made us buy a journal especially for this trip. He wanted us to "record our everyday activities and thoughts so we could cherish moments like these for a lifetime". As harsh a grader as Mr. Smith could be, he really was a gentle and sentimental person. So, thinking of Mr. Smith and the life I left behind, I started to record a brief account of the past couple of weeks in my journal. The last time I'd written was the day I followed Raordell around Rivendell. I decided to write a new entry.

_I am currently sitting in a tree somewhere between the Shire and the Misty Mountains, looking up at the stars. We're heading to Moria on a mission from Gandalf to save Middle Earth. Though the ground on which this tree resides is stable, our friendship is anything but. We've been through a lot since April 20th. We've fought in a battle, discovered our strengths, and received two missions. We've been betrayed by friends, and what's left of our friendship is caught in a blistering storm of mistrust and guilt. But our journey has only begun._

_Wish us luck._

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**Okay, so here goes with the thank yous (Didn't want to make the top part too long): thanks to LilyNoir, TheFlyingHobbit, horseyyay, Amarix (It's really weird I can review my own story), MehMee, and... that's it. So, as always, review again! Thanks!**


	18. A Battle of Wills

**Just seeing all the reviews makes me so happy. :) Thanks to: theFlyingHobbit, Applejack456, TheNovelistGirl, and horseyyay for reviewing and following. **

**And without further ado...here's the next chapter! :)**

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**Liz - June 2nd - Stuck in a Battle of Wills (oh, and we're headed towards Moria)**

I was so tired of walking. I've never been a very athletic person (my mom always tells me to get off the computer and go outside), and taking the same journey the fellowship took is seriously killing my legs. Sometimes, the only thing that keeps me going is Eddy, who constantly glares daggers at my back. I need to show him that I'm not going to be a burden, and I'm not weak. I've learned my lesson and I won't let Raordell manipulate me again.

I felt really bad. Would our friendship ever be the same? And eventually, Iris and Hallie would have to choose sides. Maybe when we got back to Earth, we would go our separate ways. Hallie would beg me not to leave her with "Edwiris", but I either I left or Eddy left. And if Eddy left then Iris might leave too, and then eventually I might accidentally do something to make Hallie mad at me and well...it was pretty complicated.

I kept trying to do things to make Eddy trust me. But I didn't really have much of an opportunity. He wouldn't talk to me, and I really couldn't think of any other way to try to patch up our friendship.

So a little "History of Our Friendship". I've known Iris since we were in kindergarten. She was the first to say, "Let's be best friends!", because little-Iris was _way_ more confident than current-Iris. Anyways. We did become best friends, plus this one other guy (whose name _shall not_ be mentioned) and we were practically inseparable. Iris was the first to meet Eddy. They were stand partners in middle school orchestra (they kinda sucked back then but now they're really good). Iris...being the shy person she was...never talked to him. She did say he was cute, but never had the courage to talk to him. Anyways. I had to push her in the right direction, because Iris seriously needs to get out of her shell sometimes. I actually happened to know Eddy as well because we were in the same English class. Along with Hallie. Eddy, Hallie, and I had to do a project together, and when we discovered our mutual nerdiness, we became our little circle of friends.

Eddy and I were not particularly close. We always disagreed with stuff, but we always talked to each other. When I needed to rant about something, he listened. And vice versa. But now...well...he wouldn't listen at all.

None of my friends were talking to me, actually. Iris and Eddy were talking about stuff (I couldn't really hear them, but I could sort of pick up on Eddy's tone of voice, and it sounded like he was complaining about something. I wonder what...) Hallie had been talking to the "Master Trio" (aka Aragorn, Legolas, and Gimli 3). I told myself that she wasn't talking to me simply because she didn't want to take sides and not because I was the terrible friend who had caused so much drama, just like during the eighth grade trip two years ago. But that's a story for another day.

I sighed. It was going to be a _looooongggg_ walk to Moria. If we didn't die before then.

There was a crash through the trees, and everyone instantly froze, drawing their weapons. I spoke too soon, didn't I?

Aragorn put a finger up to his lips, signaling us to keep quiet. I looked at our group. I was sure that we could probably take whoever it was that was coming towards us. As long as it wasn't too overly large...

Haldir quietly whispered to Aragorn, "Bad news. They're wargs."

Aragorn closed his eyes and sighed. "How many?"

"At least a dozen, perhaps more."

"They should not be too hard to handle."

Haldir passed on the message that there were wargs after us. Admittedly, I was quite nervous. I've never even seen a wolf before, much less faced one, and wargs were much bigger and cunning than your average _Canis lupus._ Everyone drew their weapons. I reached for my dagger (it's twin was still in my pack, as it was bent and unusable). I saw Eddy glance suspiciously at me.

"Hallie," I whispered, my voice quavering. "I don't think I can do this."

"What do you mean?" She looked at me, concerned.

"Last time I fought... I was so scared, and I lost control."

She looked at me with that familiar determination set in her eyes. "It's not going to happen again. And if it does, I'll knock the sense back into you."

I looked at my dagger. Not too long ago, my idea of "weapons" were pencils and hardcover books. And now...I was a murderer.

"I was never meant for battle," I said. "It sounded better in the movies."

"Liz, get a hold of yourself! You can do this. I know you can." If only I could be as confident.

"On guard!" Aragorn shouted as the wargs burst through the trees. And man, were they scary! Quickly seeing us, they attacked, and we were forced to fight for our lives. Aragorn and Hallie both raised their swords and charged as one. Gimli followed close behind. Haldir, Eddy, and Legolas teamed up, shooting one warg at a time. It took a lot of arrows to kill one warg. Iris started forming spells and shot fireballs at the wargs. Ah yes...they hate fire. As for me, well...I did something really stupid. I charged, with nothing but my little dagger to protect me.

I was not trained for close-combat. I usually did long-range attacks, throwing my daggers and retrieving them. But I didn't want to use my shadewalking abilities. I didn't trust myself to stay in control. And shadewalking is pretty much like dark magic, and I was afraid it was going to consume me again.

When the first warg came up on me, I screamed. It was huge. It was like a wolf the size of a bear. Yeah. Scary! Closing my eyes, I thrust my dagger into the monster's skull. It fell with a thud, and before I could pull my dagger out, another one jumped me. I had nothing to protect myself and I couldn't defend myself without a weapon. I looked into yellow eyes and waited for the inevitable.

"Liz!" There was a sudden burst of blue light, and the warg just...disappeared. Small ashes fell to the ground. I got up, breathing heavily. I turned to thank Iris, but she wasn't looking in my direction. And then I realized that the spell didn't look like something Iris could do. It was more like...combat magic. And combat was Hallie's specialty. _No time to think about it now, Elizabeth!_ I chided myself, quickly getting my dagger back.

I soon realized that without my shadows, I was useless. I wasn't quick enough, skilled enough, or strong enough to take on wargs with only a dagger. I was too weak. Like I've said - I've never been good at anything physical.

I looked around, seeing how much I was depending on my friends to keep me alive. Spells and arrows kept flying out whenever I was about to die. But everyone was getting weaker. And I wasn't helping. Everyone had to keep an eye on me because I was too slow and stupid. _If you don't use your shadewalking, everyone's going to die!_

A warg came up behind me and I quickly threw my dagger at its stomach. I tried to call a shadow to me, but a cold fear gripped me, and the shadow wavered and dissipated.

_I can't do this,_ I thought in terror. _So what do I do?_

**Eddy - June 2nd - A few days from the Shire, heading east to Moria (and battling for our lives)**

When the wargs attacked, the first thought on my mind: Iris. Second: Liz. (Sorry, Hallie, you weren't on the list.) She drew her dagger (the other one too bent to use), and I glared at her. I mean, really. She tried to kill Hallie last time we were in a battle together.

"Hallie," Liz whispered. "I don't think I can do this."

"What do you mean?" Hallie looked at her.

"Last time I fought...I was so scared, and I lost control."

"It's not going to happen again," Hallie answered. I couldn't quite read the look in her eyes. "And if it does, I'll knock the sense back into you." I wished I could be as confident as Hallie. I mean seriously. That shadewalking stuff is scary, and Liz gets really powerful when she does that stuff. What's to stop her from going berserk again?

I didn't have much time to think about it, because the wargs attacked. Those things are huge! And so hard to kill. Ugh.

Legolas, Haldir, and I just kept shooting volley after volley of arrows. It took a lot just to bring down one warg. Beside me, Iris was shooting fireballs. Luckily, no one had really gotten majorly hurt, so she could concentrate on offense. I wasn't really paying attention to what was going on farther out in the battlefield, until I saw a giant flash of blue light.

"What the heck was that?" I yelled to Iris. Whatever it was, it was a pretty cool spell, but not one I had ever seen her do before.

Iris paused for a breath. "That wasn't me," she said.

"What?" Okay...so we had some weird wizard randomly helping us? What? "Who was it?"

Before she could answer, Iris fired off another fireball to hit a warg that had almost incapacitated Hallie. Hallie was staring at her hands in shock, almost dropping her sword. The fireball seemed to knock her senses back into her. She shook her head, and continued fighting.

I stopped shooting in shock. "Wait. That was Hallie?"

"We'll figure it out later!" Iris shouted, and we went back to fighting. I was starting to run out of arrows, but it seemed like we were starting to drive the wargs back. With Hallie's invulnerability, Iris' awesome spells, the trio of master fighters, and the two seers, we were pretty unstoppable. I kind of wished I had arrows like Hawkeye...we could have beat those wargs much faster.

The wargs started retreating, and I felt a great sense of relief. We all pretty much collapsed on the ground, exhausted. And then there was a scream. We all turned to see the source of the noise. It was Liz - and standing over her was the biggest, scariest warg I had ever seen. Liz was cowering in fear, and she had dropped her dagger. She was defenseless. Unless she used her shadows...

Before anyone could react, the warg bit Liz's leg. She screamed, and a sickening crunch resounded through the field. The warg gave her a shake, making her scream in pain again. I could see the tears running down her face, and Iris, beside me, was crying too.

"Somebody do something!" Hallie said, trying to get up. However, she was too exhausted - the battle had taken a lot out of her.

The warg put her down and gave a sinister smile. He said something, in a language I couldn't understand.

Iris' eyes grew wide. "Raordell sends his regards," she said. I looked at her. "That's what he said!" she told me, horrified. I couldn't believe it. Raordell again? Couldn't that guy just leave us all alone? What was up with him? There was seriously something wrong with him. What did he want with us?

I couldn't do anything. I was rooted to the spot, paralysed. I watched the warg torture Liz with a mixture of guilt, horror, and queer feeling that justice had been served. "Eddy!" Iris screamed, crying, "Shoot it!"

_If he wants her,_ I thought coldly, _He can have her._ Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Aragorn make a slight signal to Gimli and Legolas. They nodded.

The giant warg grabbed Liz with one paw and threw her on his back. I saw that she had blacked out from the pain.

"He's using her as a human shield," Haldir noted with horror.

"Now!" Aragorn yelled.

At once, Legolas shot an arrow, hitting the warg on the upper thigh. The warg growled in pain, shifting to compensate for his wounded leg. Then Gimli hefted his axe and chucked it, hitting the warg right in the side. It barely missed Liz. The warg fell over, and Liz fell to the ground. Just as he was about to crush her with his weight, Aragorn pulled Liz out from underneath.

Everyone breathed a sigh of relief, and Iris rushed out to give Liz some medical attention. I stood silently, watching from a distance as everyone ran over to help her. Gimli and Legolas collected their weapons from the body of the warg and then turned to see how Liz was doing. Hallie noticed me standing farther from the group and motioned me over.

Slowly, I made my way towards the circle of people that surrounded Liz, stepping over the head of another warg on my way. Liz was by far the most injured of all of us. Hallie was untouched, the rest of us had some cuts and bruises, but Liz had numerous gashes and bite marks. Even without the crushed leg, she would have looked pretty bad. I vaguely recalled that she only had a dagger, and I retrieved it from the stomach of another warg.

"She didn't use her shadows," Hallie said beside me. I was staring at the little piece of metal in my hand.

"What?" I was surprised. I was so sure that she would have use shadewalking. And then I remembered that she hadn't formed a single shadow when that warg was attacking her. I thought she had used shadows during the battle, although I hadn't been paying much attention.

"She never used her shadows. She went into battle with nothing but a dagger. She could have saved herself a lot of pain. But she was too scared that she was going to lose control again."

"Why would she do that?" I couldn't believe she was so stupid. Although...I'd had those same fears.

"It was because of you, Eddy." Her comment hit me in the face and left me stunned. "She was so worried about our friendship, that she didn't even try to save herself because she was afraid of what you would think of her."

**I looked away, unwilling to continue the conversation. "Think about it, Eddy," Hallie continued. "Put your pride away for a single second, and think about someone else for a change." Then Hallie walked away to rejoin the group, leaving me alone with my thoughts.**

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**Wow. Raordell has made his next move. What do you think is going to happen next? What does Raordell want with them?**

**Hope you liked it! Please review! Thanks again to everyone who reviewed, favorited, and followed! :)**


	19. Bleu Cheese Saves Lives

**Hey, y'all! Just so you know, we'll be updating pretty much every Monday and Thursday unless we both suddenly disappear to Middle Earth or are mauled by wargs or something. Thanks to TheFlyingHobbit, horseyyay, and kiradenver06 for reviewing/following. Your reviews mean so much to us! Thank you all! **

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**Iris - June 3rd - Camping (because we're all so sick of walking)**

_Liz still hasn't woken up. She mutters in her sleep, and I practically had to tie her down so that she didn't put too much stress on her wounds whenever she tosses and turns. I didn't get much sleep last night because I had to keep watch over her. I don't really mind - I'm just glad she's alive. Hallie told me her theory about why Liz didn't use shadewalking, and it makes sense. I hope this whole situation shows Eddy how terrible this fight has become._

_Her injuries are terrible. I'm actually kind of surprised no appendages fell off. She got bitten a lot, and with enough force, it could have torn off an arm._

_When she wakes up, I'm going to give her a lecture she'll never forget. She can't be afraid to use her powers. I wish I had more information related to shadewalking. Maybe then I could figure out how to help her..._

I looked up from my journal when the flap of the tent opened. "Hey," Hallie said, walking in.

"Hi," I replied, putting my journal away.

"How is she?" Hallie stood next to our friend, looking down in concern.

"She hasn't woken up, but I think that may be a good thing. She's going to be in a lot of pain when she wakes up."

"Yeah...well, lunch is ready. I think you can leave her for a little bit."

"I'll be right out." Hallie nodded and went back outside. I felt Liz's forehead. She had a small fever, but that would help with fighting infection. I was afraid she was going to get rabies or something, but that hadn't happened. Yet. I quickly put a blanket around her and went outside.

Lunch was rabbit stew. I had been quite surprised when I learned that Gimli could cook, and I really loved the meals he made. Legolas handed me a bowl, asking how Liz was. I told him she was doing well, considering the circumstances, and went to sit next to Eddy. He was in a bad mood... still.

"Hey, Mr. Grumpypants," I said. He ignored me. "Don't worry, Liz is going to be fine." He didn't say anything. I frowned. I didn't know what he was feeling. Did he feel guilty? Or sad? I wished he would talk to me. I decided to give him some space and ask him about it later. I got up and went to sit next to Hallie, who was chatting quietly with Aragorn, Legolas, and Haldir.

"Hey, Hallie," I said as I sat down.

"What are we, chopped liver?" We all turned to look at Haldir. He glanced down, sheepish. "I learned that from Eddy."

Determined not to spend any more time thinking about Eddy and his problems, I replied, "Hello, Haldir. Hi, Aragorn, and hello, Legolas."

They smiled. "So, Hallie, was it really you who shot that ball of blue light out on the battlefield yesterday?" I asked.

Hallie glanced down at her hands. "Yeah... it was," she said.

"I had been meaning to ask you about that," Aragorn said.

"I have no idea what it was- or how I did it. I just saw Liz, about to get mauled by a warg, and I reached out to her. I was going to run over to help, but suddenly, I felt this... this... energy leave my hand and there was a flash of light, and then the warg was just gone." Hallie looked over at Aragorn, hopeful. "I've been trying to do it again- you know, like on the walk over here- but all I've managed is a couple of sparks."

"It sounds like rune-magic to me," Legolas chimed in. Hallie looked at him.

"It seems like your powers are growing," Aragorn said.

Suddenly I had an idea. "Hallie, maybe I can help you a little bit with controlling your rune-magic. If it's anything like mine, I may be able to help you find and harness it."

"That would be so amazing," Hallie said, "because I do have this particular problem with sneez- achoo!"

Suddenly, Hallie's hands lit on fire and a blue ball of light emerged from them. She quickly turned her hands to the ground, and the ball of energy carved a hole into the dirt. She looked up sheepishly. "It's happened a couple of times since the battle," she admitted, "but I've been trying to at least cover these up with leaves or something so I'm not leaving a trail."

We all looked at her like, "You have destructive magic that gets unleashed when you sneeze and you never told us?" Hallie saw the looks on our faces and looked sheepish herself. I wondered how we never even noticed holes being blown up in the ground. I mean...what if she had accidentally been facing the wrong direction or something?

"We'll figure it out. In the meantime...maybe you should try to stop sneezing."

"Yeah... because I have the power to control my sneezing," Hallie replied sarcastically, "But really, I'll try."

We talked for a little while after that. It was nice to relax after such a stressful week. And we really had nothing better to do, while we were waiting for Liz to wake up. We could have practiced our skills, but I had suggested that everyone rest from strenuous activity. We all needed rest after lots of walking and a huge battle.

Speaking of Liz...I went back to check on her. For once, she was sleeping peacefully. No nightmares, evidently. That was good. It always scared me when she had her nightmares. I wonder when they started. I never heard her screaming or tossing and turning, but I was a pretty sound sleeper - especially with all the energy I was using up every day.

Nothing else exciting happened the rest of the day. Which was a good thing. I went to bed smiling, thinking that everything was going to be alright.

But it was only the beginning.

**June 5th - World War "E"**

Eddy had been a giant storm cloud since the battle. He wouldn't talk to any of us, and he wouldn't do anything either. Even when Legolas offered to give him some lessons on archery, he barely reacted and simply said he didn't feel like it.

Eddy has always been a moper. It's one of my biggest pet peeves, and the same with Hallie and Liz. He has had a hard life, but sometimes, his personal pity parties get kind of tiring.

And now he was being stupid again. I decided that I really needed to talk to him, because it was getting ridiculous. Maybe if he talked it out he would feel better.

I found him in his tent, where he was making new arrows. At least he was doing something...

He looked up when I opened the flap of the tent, but quickly looked back down at his work. "Hey," I said softly. "Can I come in?"

He was silent for a moment, but then nodded slightly. He shared the tent with Haldir, and I sat down criss-cross-applesauce where Haldir usually put his sleeping bag. "So," I started awkwardly, as Eddy didn't even look at me or really acknowledge my presence. "What's on your mind?"

He didn't say anything, which was weird, because given the opportunity, Eddy will rant. "Is it related to Liz?" I questioned. I saw him slightly tense up, but that was the only evidence that he was even listening. "Come on Eddy, talk to me."

After what felt like an eternity, he finally put down the stick he was smoothing out and looked at me. Then the rush of words that came from his mouth really surprised me. "I don't know what to think anymore. I guess you were right. I've been judging Liz too harshly, but I don't know how to patch up our friendship. Everything's gotten to be so complicated lately. I just don't know what to do, or think, or feel. I don't know if I want to forgive her, and that's what scares me, I guess." He looked away as he said the next part. "I didn't want to help her yesterday. I'm just so confused. Part of me wanted to help, but there was this other part that felt like...well...like she deserved it."

I just kind of blinked and stared at him. I knew that forgiving Liz had been hardest for him. His friends were really important to him, but when they betrayed him, he really took it hard. "I know that Raordell was controlling her and everything," he continued, picking at the grass. "And I know that she was really scared and confused, but we've known her for six years - I thought she was different." I could see where he was coming from...I still felt the same way, although I had been able to forgive Liz.

"And the shadewalking stuff scares me." I silently agreed. "It's so...opposite of her personality. It's dark and sinister... She's changed, Iris. I can tell. And her nightmares - who knows what goes on in her brain these days?"

"Well, maybe she has something like post-traumatic stress disorder or something," I started.

"And how can you just forgive her like that? She totally betrayed us, but you and Hallie act like nothing ever happened. I can't do that. I can't go back to how everything was. Because of her, nothing will ever be the same again."

"Nothing is will ever be the same again, regardless of whether or not Liz had run off with Raordell," I grimaced slightly as I said his name, "We've found Middle Earth, Eddy- this isn't some dream or some event that we're likely to forget. We're not going back to how everything was- we're adapting to this new situation. You heard what Hallie said at the Prancing Pony. If everything around us is changing, the one thing she expected to stay steady was our friendship. It's all we've got, Eddy, so we have to do everything we can to preserve it."

"But still," Eddy sighed, "I can't just forgive Liz for everything she's done. I mean, she-"

I cut him off. "Edward Kennedy, you need to stop. Liz. Was. Controlled. Get it? She hasn't done a single thing wrong since, and because she cares so much about this friendship, she didn't use her powers, even though they could have saved her all this pain. You are not hurt. No one has been playing games with your mind. But you have turned on your friends in their time of need. Liz is hurting, Hallie- though Heaven knows she'll never admit it- is overwhelmed, and I am trying to take care of everybody, with no help from you. In fact, I have to go see if I can help Hallie with her 'rune magic' now."

I turned and stormed out of the tent, my face burning. One annoying part of my brain told me that we had sounded like an old married couple. I told that part of my brain to shut up. It didn't.

I found Hallie in a tree (no surprise there), and we began our training. I tried to remember what Arwen had taught me about "calling" my magic, but apparently combat magic and my more elemental magic are really different.

"Okay," I sighed, trying yet another technique (we'd been at this for about an hour with no apparent progress), "Try to feel this energy inside you."

Hallie looked at me like I was crazy. But she closed her eyes. After a couple of minutes of just sitting there, she said, "I-I think I feel something. And I feel really stupid saying that right now, but I really think I feel something."

I almost jumped in excitement. We were finally getting somewhere! "Try to call it to the surface..." I thought of Arwen and her nature analogies, "like... like bubbles coming up from under the water!"

Hallie concentrated, staring at her hands. Eventually, I saw a little spark. The spark grew into a tiny blue ball, no bigger than a marble, and floated above her palms for a couple of seconds before suddenly fizzling out. Hallie laid back in the grass, obviously frustrated. I sighed. Perfectionists.

"This is so annoying!" she said, finally sitting back up again. "How do you do it, Iris?"

"Well," I started, choosing my words carefully, "It's hard to say. Once you get the hang of it, you don't have to think about it anymore. It's really hard to explain..." I looked over at Hallie, "and harder to teach. Everyone's different- and so your ways are different than mine, but the less thought, the better."

"That sounds... great." Hallie replied, sarcastically.

I sighed. Arwen was such a better teacher. "I have to go check on Liz now."

Hallie nodded. I suspect she went back to practicing, because as I was walking away, I heard her mutter, "Appear, you little ball of light. You've found the end of the tunnel."

I made my way back to the tent that Liz and I shared, waving to Legolas and Aragorn as I walked by. They didn't notice. They appeared to be having an argument about the positioning of the feathers on the tail of an arrow. I rolled my eyes. Boys.

When I stepped into the tent, I discovered Liz was covered in a sheet of sweat. I ran over to my little washing station and wet a rag, pressing it against her forehead to cool her down. Suddenly, Liz was shaking. I lifted the bandages off of her leg, and reeled back as I saw pus in the wound. An infection. Great.

I tried to remember what Arwen had said about leg infections. Something about cellulitis... and blue molds! I cleaned the wound again as best as I could, draining some of the pus and re-wrapping the wound. Then I ran outside, calling everyone together for help. Hallie, Aragorn, and Legolas rushed over immediately. Gimli was there a second later, as was Haldir. No sign of Eddy.

"Liz has a leg infection," I said, "and we need a blue mold to help treat her. I'm going to try to heal her by magic as best as I can, but the blue mold is the thing that's going to save her life." I described to them the appearance of the mold and where it normally grows, and they started pairing off. Aragorn went with Haldir. Legolas went with Hallie (they were thinking fencing/archery pair or something). Gimli was left to guard the camp, a job he considered sissy until Legolas reminded him they were running. With that, they were off.

I ran back into the tent and said a spell for fever, and another one for quick healing of the gash. As I let the spells do their work, I grabbed my medicine book and scanned the pages, looking for blue mold. I finally found the entry. It said to boil the mold for an hour and then spoon the soup to the patient. I almost screamed. We didn't have time for this!

But I didn't know what else to do. So I told Gimli to fetch some water for me and start a fire. He got the water boiling within minutes (something that never happens at home). As I was tending the fire (Gimli and I were taking turns watching Liz), Eddy emerged from his tent, head hanging. He saw me and wandered over in my direction.

"Look, Iris," he started, "I just want to say I'm-"

"I'll listen to what I'm sure is a moving speech later. Right now, I need your help. Do you know anything about blue mold?"

Eddy looked confused. "Yeah... they use it to make penicillin back at home. Why?"

"Well, Liz has a leg infection, and she needs the mold in order to survive." I saw Eddy's eyes harden at the mention of Liz' name. "This is your chance to prove yourself to me. To everyone." I stared Eddy down. "Do you know how to give blue mold to a patient quickly?"

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**HA! I'm so evil. I have left you all to wonder... will Eddy redeem himself and help to save the life of his friend? Will Liz live? Oh my goodness this moment is so suspenseful! See y'all with Chapter 20 on Monday! **


	20. True Love's Kiss Breaks Any Spell

**Yodles, y'all! We're back! So, thank yous to: blushingpixie, horseyyay (I swear, we might have to give you the reviewing award or something), and Mossystar102 for reviewing/following/favoriting. Enjoy the next installment of The Compass!**

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**Hallie - June 6th - Oh, what a wonderful day. Not.**

_So. A recount of yesterday. We spent half an hour running through the forest, searching for blue mold. The blue mold seemed to ring a bell for me, and after that half an hour of running (how do elves do it? Run for half an hour, not get winded, and still look perfect at the end?), I figured it out. Blue mold was the stuff they put in blue cheese, hence the name blue cheese. I also remembered that they used it to make penicillin. Yeah. Useful stuff._

_Finally, we found a whole clump of the mold. Interestingly enough, though Aragorn and Haldir had taken off in the opposite direction, they arrived at the waterfall where the mold was growing only a few minutes after we did. None of us said anything. We just grabbed all the mold we could find and ran back to the camp._

_When we arrived, I discovered that the ever-elusive Edward had finally emerged from his tent. He told us to put the mold down and started mashing it with some rocks, and then tossed it into a pot of boiling water with a bunch of other herbs. We all watched it stew for about five minutes and then Iris dipped a bowl into the water and ran over to the tent she shared with Liz. Then came the waiting. Endless stinking waiting. It's nerve-wracking._

_So, me being me, I started trying to conjure a spark again. By the time I'd finally gotten one, Iris was running back out of the tent, telling us everything was okay. Thank goodness._

_Liz was fine. Now, at least. The blue mold worked wonders on her infection, and even though she's still not awake, she's stable and her wound is healing. She might kill us when she finds out we used blue mold on her as a substitute for penicillin, though..._

It takes a chunk out of Iris' day, though- caring for Liz. She has to wash Liz' wound at least once a day to make sure the infection didn't come back. I think Iris cursed herself for not being there when Liz first started to get a fever. But she can't do everything alone. And it doesn't help that she tosses and turns either. Iris has been looking super tired. She hardly got any rest. Tonight, I am going to make Iris show me how to take care of Liz, and make her sleep. I'm pretty well rested, much more than Iris, at least, so I could take care of Liz.

It started raining halfway through the day, which was a shame because everyone had finally gotten into a better mood. Eddy seemed to be less mopey (*gasp*), which meant that Iris was in a better mood too. The rain was coming down in buckets- and even though it meant that we were stuck in a tent for the rest of the foreseeable future, I was kind of thankful. Why? Because it meant we actually had to spend time with each other instead of wandering off to practice our abilities.

So the rest of the day was pretty boring. Iris and I sat in the tent. It was kind of cramped, with a sleeping Liz in the middle, especially when Eddy came in as well. Now that we were all together again (sort of), I didn't have the heart to tell him to get out so that I could stretch my legs.

I would have practiced with my little ball of light (I wanna let it shine), but I didn't want to accidentally hit someone, because Iris would most likely kill me for giving her another patient. So we just sat and talked. It was kinda awkward... make that majorly awkward. I mean, it got awkward sometimes at home, you know, when we all ran out of things to say as we sat in the main entry on a Friday afternoon, tired from school and life, but this was worse. There were times when we were all so lost in our thoughts that we didn't say anything to each other for a while. This was one of those times.

"Does Liz talk in her sleep?" I suddenly burst out. I had no idea where that question came from, but since all our attention was pretty much focused on our injured friend, I was kind of curious.

"No," Iris said. "Sometimes she mumbles...and screams..."

"It used to be me who had the nightmares," Eddy mumbled. I thought I heard a twinge of regret in his voice. It was true. Eddy was the one who had the dreams about death and getting hurt and nightmarish stuff like that. Liz was the one who dreamed about fantastical creatures and awesome adventures. Now...who knew what she dreamed of? It was horrible enough to make her scream, that was for sure.

We all fell into silence. This was so awkward. Liz, wake up, I tried to say telepathically. We need you. I'm an awkward third wheel here. Our group isn't the same without you.

I only hoped that the others realized it too. That we could all be real friends again. No more fighting, no more awkward silences because we didn't know what to say. We all kind of sat there like that for a while, watching Liz, waiting for her to wake up.

Gosh, where is a true love when you need him, eh? Part of me was waiting for some random, devastatingly hot guy to walk through the flap of the tent and kiss Liz to wake her up. He'd sweep her off her feet and then they'd ride off into the sunset together... and live happily ever after. I smiled at my little fantasies. I even had a name for this manly prince. Hey, we're in Middle Earth. Honestly, after the past couple of weeks, I wouldn't be surprised if that happened.

**June 7th - Middle of Somewhere, Middle Earth (please forward all mail to Moria)**

Iris woke up the next day feeling very rested (at least, I hope so). I had stayed up to take care of Liz (nothing bad had happened, thank goodness). She smiled at me gratefully, and she had more energy to spare. I'm not quite sure if that was a good thing or not...because she was bouncing all over the place now in happiness.

Why? Because Liz had finally woke up. I had dozed off for a morning nap (staying up all night is not as easy as it sounds), while Iris was outside, when suddenly I was woken up by a quiet, "Hallie?" My eyes had shot open, and to my utter joy and relief, Liz was awake, trying to sit up in her sleeping bag. I had rushed outside to tell the good news, and Iris had rushed in. She would have given Liz a giant hug, if it weren't for her injuries. Aragorn, Legolas, Gimli, and Haldir had stopped by to say hello, before leaving the three of us alone.

"Ugh...I feel horrible," Liz moaned.

"I'm not surprised." Iris said, giving Liz some soup (made expertly by Gimli- I really didn't know that dwarves were such good cooks). "You had a lot of injuries, and your leg got infected, so we had to give you this mold concoction and -"

"You had to what?!" Liz choked on her soup.

"Erm...we made this kind of...mold soup? And we gave it to you since we didn't have penicillin and all," Iris explained.

Liz groaned. "Ugh. I really did not need to know that." Just then, the tent flap opened, and we turned to see Eddy.

"Hey," he said awkwardly.

"Hey," Liz said in answer. They kinda...stared at each other for a moment, before apologies came pouring out of Eddy's mouth in one long run-on sentence.

"Listen, I'm really sorry about Raordell and everything, and not understanding that you were under his control, and you were scared and confused, and I'm sorry that I didn't help when that warg had you and I'm sorry that I was such a jerk and -"

"Eddy!" Liz interrupted. He stopped. "It's okay. I understand. I-I haven't been that great of a friend either."

"No, we're the ones who haven't been good friends," I interrupted. "We were the ones who were more focused on training and ignoring you."

"Yeah," Iris agreed. "I'm so sorry for that! I never meant to do that. I never really considered your feelings and I was too happy and caught up in my own dreams."

"Hey, guys, it really isn't your fault," Liz said, putting her soup down so that she didn't spill it. "I was the one who was all mopey and selfish...and I was so stupid when I went off with Raordell like that. I didn't really consider what you would think...I let my feelings get ahead of me."

"I think that happened to all of us," Eddy said. "I guess...my feelings were part of the reason I didn't trust you, and my fear almost got you killed."

"It's okay. I don't really trust myself, honestly. You all have the right to be scared of me. The power that I have...it really scares me. I should have this much power, and now that I have it, I wish it would just all go away. All your powers are so...light and good, but mine are dark and evil. And it brings out the side of me that none of you have ever seen. That's why I don't want to use my powers anymore. I don't want it to consume me. It really scares me."

"I wish we could do some research," Iris frowned. "No one knows anything about shadewalking." We all agreed. Liz would definitely feel better once she knew that she didn't have to be evil to be a shadewalker.

"Too bad we don't have the internet," Eddy said. We all laughed.

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**And so the story marches on. Like? Not like? Need more information? Wondering if Eddy and Iris will ever stinkin' fall in love? Want to know if Raordell is gone for good? Or what about Gandalf? What is that crazy wizard up to? The answer is, as always: review!**


	21. Kiss De Girl

**Well, hello again! Explanation for this chapter: my writing comrade and I were highly sugared and listening to Disney songs. So no, we don't own Disney (though we wish we did). Thank you to TheFlyingHobbit and horseyyay for reviewing! I really enjoyed reading both of your reviews! **

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**Liz - WHAT DAY IS IT?! Oh...it's June 9th... - Road to Moria (somewhere near Weathertop)**

_Everything's finally back to normal again. Well, I don't think anything will ever be the same again. We've all changed. A lot. But that's a good thing. I know our friendship is stronger...and it's going to last for a long time._

_I'd been asleep for...four days? Something like that. My wounds still hadn't healed, and it really hurt to walk, but we decided to move forward anyways. We had a lot of ground to cover. Iris protested, but then I pointed out that if we waited until my leg healed...well...if Middle Earth needed saving, we wouldn't be able to save it._

_We had to problem of how I was going to move, though. We didn't have any horses, and crutches are pretty hard to come by in the middle of the wilderness. Then Eddy (to my surprise) suggested that I use the shadows to support my weight as we traveled. I was hesitant, but Hallie told me I was being stupid._

_And so I used my shadows to make myself a little hovercraft, and we were on our way. It was a little bumpy (thus the messy scrawl in my journal right now...), but I didn't have to walk, and we could go at normal pace._

"Hey, could I see a map?" I asked. Even though my friends thought otherwise, I didn't have the map of Middle Earth memorized. Hallie handed me a map, and I looked at it, tracing the path we had taken so far.

And then something caught my eye. "Oh my gosh!" I freaked out. I really should have figured this out earlier, but I was kind of knocked out so my brain hadn't been functioning properly.

Hallie raised an eyebrow at me. "What? Are you okay?" Of course I wasn't okay. Don't be silly.

"We're going to the Misty Mountains!" I half-squealed. I was...slightly hyper...but it was a good change from the depressing mood we had been in for a while.

"And your point is?" Hallie looked at me like I was crazy. Which I was. But whatever.

My eye glinted mischievously. "She's going to sing," Iris mumbled.

And I did.

_"Far over the misty mountains cold_

_To dungeons deep and caverns old_

_We must away, ere break of day_

_To find our long, forgotten gold..."_

Hallie rolled her eyes. Gimli, hearing me sing the familiar song, turned around with a grin, joining in on the next stanza.

_"The pines were roaring on the height_

_The winds were moaning in the night_

_The fire was red, it flaming spread_

_The trees like torches, blazed with light..."_

It was just the movie version of the song...but the real version was really super long, and it didn't really apply to our journey anyways.

Hallie smiled slightly. "Very nice. Sounded better when Thorin sang it though."

Gimli looked very confused. "Now 'ow did ye 'ear Master Thorin sing it?"

We looked at each other. "Uhh..we have a friend...named Thorin," I said lamely.

"Interesting," Gimli looked incredulous, but said nothing more, much to our relief.

"We should sing something to annoy them," Hallie suggested, indicating to Iris and Eddy.

I grinned. I liked this idea. I looked back at Iris and Eddy. Iris was laughing at something Eddy said. Cue the evil look from me and Hallie.

_"There you see her_  
_Sitting there across the way_  
_She don't got a lot to say_  
_But there's something about her_  
_And you don't know why_  
_But you're dying to try_  
_You wanna kiss the girl..."_

Iris and Eddy looked up in surprise, and glared fiercely in our direction. We grinned and kept singing.

_"Yes, you want her_  
_Look at her, you know you do_  
_Possible she wants you too_  
_There is one way to ask her_  
_It don't take a word_  
_Not a single word_  
_Go on and kiss the girl..."_

Their faces were bright red...and it was hilarious.

_"Sha la la la la la_  
_My oh my_  
_Look like the boy too shy_  
_Ain't gonna kiss the girl_  
_Sha la la la la la_  
_Ain't that sad?_  
_Ain't it a shame?_  
_Too bad, he gonna miss the girl..."_

They looked away from each other. Man...they were deeeep inside the river of denial.

_"Now's your moment_  
_Floating in a blue lagoon_  
_Boy you better do it soon_  
_No time will be better_  
_She don't say a word_  
_And she won't say a word_  
_Until you kiss the girl..."_

By now, Aragorn, Legolas, Gimli, and Haldir looked back at us with perplexed expressions on their faces. This was the best moment of my life. So far. Iris was glaring at Hallie and me, and Eddy wouldn't look in our direction. We continued... one more stanza to go.

_"Sha la la la la la_  
_Don't be scared_  
_You got the mood prepared_  
_Go on and kiss the girl_  
_Sha la la la la la_  
_Don't stop now_  
_Don't try to hide it how_  
_You want to kiss the girl_  
_Sha la la la la la_  
_Float along_  
_And listen to the song_  
_The song say kiss the girl_  
_Sha la la la la_  
_Music play_  
_Do what the music say_  
_You got to kiss the girl_  
_You wanna kiss the girl_  
_Go on and kiss the girl..."_

Aragorn was smirking. Legolas raised an eyebrow with a slight smile on his face. Gimli was laughing. Haldir looked like he was trying not to laugh- which is a pretty funny expression for an elf. All eyes were on Eddy and Iris, who had bright red faces. Their arms were crossed, and they were both glaring at us. We just laughed. And laughed. It felt so good.

Though I'm pretty sure they're going to try to get us for that later. Of course, we've done that many times (not singing to them- just trying to embarrass them about their secret love for each other), and they haven't embarrassed us quite as much yet. Hopefully they wouldn't go as far as to mention Hallie's fangirling over Aragorn... or our many jokes about Legolas' perfect hair...

Iris walked a little bit faster and fell into step with Hallie and I, while Eddy jogged to catch up with Haldir, who was a bit ahead.

"You guys are horrible," Iris said, "I can't believe you did that."

"We did... what must be done," Hallie sighed, dramatically, before bursting into laughter.

Iris rolled her eyes. "I knew I shouldn't have told you guys about that on the ship..." she mumbled.

I laughed. "We would have figured it out anyway," I said, "I mean, the way you two look at each other and spend most of your time together flirting... even the elves noticed."

Iris blushed, which only made Hallie's and my smiles get bigger. We teased and tortured her about "Tree" (her secret name for him) for an hour as we walked along. Soon, though, the sunlight began to wane and we had to stop so Gimli could start preparing dinner while it was still light enough to see.

While we waited for dinner, the archers practiced archery, Hallie practiced more with her rune-magic (it's more like combat magic, but I guess Legolas doesn't know what that is). Iris and I tried to figure out some of the shadewalking stuff.

I showed her what I could do. I made myself look like her, which she thought was really cool but weird at the same time. I showed her how I could use my shadows to deflect objects and fight.

"This really is a cool skill, Liz," she said.

"I know. Raordell said that I was one of the most powerful shadewalkers he had ever seen," I told her.

"What I don't understand is how shadewalking possesses people and makes them want to do evil. I mean...the user is in control, not the shadows. How exactly do you...feel when you're manipulating the shadows?"

"Well...I feel really powerful. But after I use my powers, I feel a lot weaker. It draws on my energy, so that's why I feel so drained afterwards."

"Hm...this might sound really far-fetched, but maybe shadewalking draws on your dark energy. Arwen told me that everyone has light and dark energy inside. And if shadewalking draws on the dark energy, when you let it get out of control, it takes over."

"Great." I groaned. "So, what do I do?"

"I think that if you learn to have more control, and to stay level-headed in battle, you'll be fine."

"I'll keep that in mind," I said. Just then, Hallie walked over.

"Hey, Iris, do you think you could help me figure out this rune-magic thing?"

"Sure," Iris said. Then she turned to me. "Is that okay?"

"Oh, yeah, sure," I said. Iris and Hallie left, leaving me more confused than ever.

**Eddy - June 12th - Happy Birthday to Me (Whoo-hoo. Catch the sarcasm?)**

I've had a lot of nasty birthdays. Like the time my cousin almost exploded my cake when I was five. Or the time the party streamers caught on fire and the fire department had to come. The worst one, I think, was the time that my dad messed up the reservations and we ended up not having a party at all.

This was far worse than that. First of all, it was freezing cold, blowing snow everywhere, and I couldn't even feel my face anymore. We had finally reached the Misty Mountains. And it was terrible. Who in their right mind would travel along these mountains? Although...admittedly, we weren't exactly the worlds sanest people. More like the world's craziest.

And of course, it's my birthday. La-de-da. I'm sixteen. I should be spending it with cake and presents, not lembas and a blizzard. Oh, I almost got crushed by an avalanche too. I can see the headlines now: BOY DIES ON SIXTEENTH BIRTHDAY. Well, at least I'm not Liz. If she died, she'd never turn sixteen. She'd never be able to drive. Of the four of us, Iris is the oldest (her birthday's in December), Hallie's second oldest (March), my birthday's in June and Liz is just really young, with her birthday in August.

So anyways, this was probably the worst birthday ever. Let's just get attacked and we can have a party. And everyone forgot my birthday! It was partly because none of us were really knew what the date was (our phones had run out of battery long ago). My friends are usually pretty good at remembering birthdays. Except that one time when we forgot Hallie's birthday and celebrated it a month late. But hey, it was a good celebration. We kind of...kidnapped her...but that's a story for another day.

Speaking of time, I wonder how time works between our world and Middle Earth. When we get back, will it be like Narnia, or will everyone be freaking out because we've been missing for three-ish months? Maybe somewhere in the middle. Maybe I'll be lucky and get to actually celebrate my birthday when we get back. If we get back. But then, how old would I be?

See, these are the weird questions that run through my head when I'm tired, annoyed, mad, and all of the above.

Wouldn't this all be easier if Gandalf just came back from the Grey Havens? Why did he leave when he knew that we were going to show up and really really need his help? Everything would be so much easier with some moths, eagles, and magical light. He could probably strike Raordell dead without very much effort. I really want that guy dead, by the way.

It was a very slow trek through the mountains. I felt like it was going to take us twice as long to reach Moria, but apparently we were almost there. Maybe three or four days left, according to Aragorn.

I tried to cheer myself up with thoughts of happy times, warmth, and food. It didn't work. "It's going to take a lot to cheer me up," I mumbled. Actually, I said it in a regular voice, because no one could hear me above the howling of the wind anyways.

Finally, we stopped for the night. We huddled around the fire. Nobody talked much. Aragorn, Legolas, and Gimli discussed paths. Well, they tried to. The map wasn't cooperating. Every time they successfully situated it so they could all see, the wind acted up again and blew the map away. At one point, Gimli said a few curse words in Dwarvish and almost slammed his axe into the table.. Hallie, Liz, Iris, Haldir, and I huddled together for warmth.

Suddenly Hallie and Liz shared a kind of "look", and I grimaced as they burst out singing another Disney song. I think it was "Colours of the Wind". But hey, you really can't tell. With all the wind. Ha. I just got that joke. Although, the only colours in this wind are white and grey. Iris rolled her eyes at the duet and scooted closer to me, which of course made my side tingle wherever I touched her. And my face heated up. Gosh, I sound like an idiot.

She moved in closer to me, leaning a little on my shoulder, and kind of whispered in my ear, "Happy Birthday, Eddy." I was so shocked and overwhelmed by her presence that I almost fell over. I was staring deep into her green eyes, and she was looking into mine.

"Uh... thanks," I said, still staring at her. Uh, thanks? Can you be any more of an idiot? I shook my head, trying to clear my thoughts. "What-what I mean is, thanks for remembering my birthday. It means a lot... especially out here."

Iris smiled. She looked so pretty when she smiled. It was unfortunate that I hadn't gotten to see her smile as often. Unable to help myself, I smiled back. We sat there for a while, wrapped in a blanket, our hands and faces barely warmed by the fire, smiling at each other like idiots. I then decided to make it my personal goal to make sure she smiled as much as possible.

Suddenly, I heard Hallie exclaim, "Oh my gosh!"

We all looked up. "It's... Eddy's birthday! I can't believe I forgot!" she shrieked, "We need to sing to him."

"Haven't you done enough of that for one day?" Gimli grumbled, annoyed by the ever-present wind, and the lack of cooperation from the map.

Hallie, Liz, and Iris sang "Happy Birthday" to me, and then Aragorn taught us a traditional Gondorian birthday song. Unwilling to be bested, Gimli taught us a dwarvish birthday song. When we asked Legolas and Haldir if the elves had any birthday songs, they started singing what had to be the most beautiful song I'd ever heard. Funny thing, though, was I swore the tune was vaguely similar to our version of "Happy Birthday".

We exchanged birthday stories over the fire as we ate lembas. We spent a good portion of the night (or maybe day, you really can't tell) talking and laughing.

It was the best birthday I've ever had.

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**Well, this was an exciting chapter, wasn't it? Eddy's sixteen (interesting fact: it means he can date- we all know where this is going), and Hallie and Liz have discovered their love of singing Disney songs. I do promise, though, that they get bored after Eddy's birthday. **


	22. Beauty and the Ale

**Well, hello, people! Summer is coming to an unfortunate end soon... but such is the life of a student. Bleh. Thank you, as always, to horseyyay for reviewing. As for TheFlyingHobbit, I am very disappointed. Enjoy this chapter!**

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**Iris - June 14th - Far Over the Misty Mountains Cold (SO COLD)**

The Misty Mountains are anything but misty. Okay, so they're slightly misty, but they need a better name. Like the Icy Mountains. Or the Snowy Mountains. Something like that. "The Misty Mountains" makes it sound cooler than it really is.

I almost fell to my death. Like Frodo did when they were here. Luckily, Legolas was right behind me and grabbed my hand before I plummeted down the icy cliff face. He pulled me back, and I lost my balance (again, gosh), and knocked Legolas over, landing on top of him. Awkward. I stood up quickly, dusted myself off, and tried to catch up with the rest of the group. But, of course, I almost slipped- again -as I was walking away. I swear, I am not that uncoordinated.

I wonder if our quest is as important as the one Frodo took. The plus side to all this danger and cold is that Hallie and Liz aren't singing anymore. They've been singing for the past few days, and I would have strangled them if the fate of Middle Earth didn't rest on our hands.

And Legolas' hair still looks good. WHAT THE HECK. I mean, really. That guy (elf, whatever) hasn't seen shampoo since May 28- and yet his long, blonde locks are still in pristine condition. Do elves naturally repel the elements or something? I must learn their secrets.

Still caught up in my thoughts, I didn't notice that the group had stopped walking until I slammed into Gimli in front of me. Luckily for me, dwarves are study creatures that never lose their footing (or, rarely), otherwise, I would have started the domino effect on the rest of my friends.

I tried to concentrate on walking. Except my mind kept drifting. Like the wind. Ha ha. Actually, scratch that...the wind is not drifting. Okay...enough with the wind jokes already. Anyways, my mind kept drifting...to things such as how I wanted to kiss Eddy on his birthday.

I don't know why I got that feeling. I mean...I don't really like Eddy that way anymore. Right? You're still in the river of de-nile, that little voice in my head whispered annoyingly. I tried to ignore it, but that was just as easy as ignoring Hallie and Liz when they sang. Along with the butterflies that refused to calm down in my stomach whenever I thought about Eddy.

I groaned inwardly. I couldn't believe I was actually falling for him again. He's my best guy friend. If we started dating, what if something happened to our friendship? What if...what if Hallie and Liz ditched us because they thought it would be awkward? I had often thought about this. About how our group might be split up when significant others started showing up in our lives.

Ugh...this was so annoying. I wanted a boyfriend, but I didn't want our friendship to die. Hallie, Liz, and I had talked about this issue before, and they assured me that our friendship would be as strong as ever, but would it really be that way? I mean...we almost split up when Eddy and Liz had their fight. What if that happened again? There's a statistic that said that you made a "friend change" every seven years. I did not want that to happen. But what if it did? Then what would I do?

**June 16th - MORIA. FINALLY.**

We finally reached Moria. Without anyone dying. It was a miracle. Seriously. The dwarves were surprised to see us, but when they saw Gimli, Legolas, and Aragorn, they immediately welcomed us into their warm underground cave. It was actually quite nice.

Although...I have to say. I like elvish clothing waaaay more than dwarven clothing. Elvish clothing is light and flowy, and dwarven clothing (although they do have some pretty colors) is bulky and cumbersome. And there are so many layers. How do they walk in this stuff? Although...I guess with all the muscle mass they have, it's easy for them. It was better than wet clothes though, that was for sure.

I was surprised to learn that, yes, dwarven women have beards. They still look feminine, but they have beards. And it was super embarrassing when I mistook a dwarvish woman for a male. Awkward. Luckily, she wasn't offended.

The food was good. Really filling, although most of it was meat. There were maybe...two or three dishes that had vegetables? I made sure to ask what kind of meat I was eating before I ate it. Who knows what kind of things dwarves hunt. I shudder to think of it.

No one seemed to remember the real reason we were in Moria. We were all too hungry and tired to be thinking of "moonlit gates" and the way to save Middle Earth.

I looked around the table. Gimli and Legolas sat together with a bunch of Gimli's friends on his right and Aragorn of Legolas' left. Hallie sat next to Aragorn and Liz was next to her. I sat next to Liz with Eddy on my left and Haldir next to him.

Have I mentioned that dwarves have terrible table manners? It was kind of gross. But I was kind of used to it though...my little brother could be a dwarf, if it was based on manners.

Gimli was laughing boisterously with a group of his friends, along with Legolas. As I watched, Gimli challenged Legolas to a drinking contest (he was still determined to beat him) and his friends started clapping and cheering.

Aragorn was watching with amusement. Meanwhile, Hallie and Liz were making a bet on how long it would take me and Eddy to...wait. What?!

"Really guys?" I glared at them, which isn't very intimidating but I try my best.

Hallie gave me an evil grin. "Mwahaha! Seriously, we didn't miss that little moment you two had on his birthday. And I think that you two are probably going to kiss sometime in the next few days. Liz thinks it's going to take longer than that."

My face turned red and I sighed. There was no stopping them. I continued my scan of the table. Eddy was laughing at Haldir, because he had the funniest look on his face as he watched the rambunctious dwarves. If figured he was feeling pretty intimidated. He had never been out of Rivendell, much less seen drunken dwarves.

Gimli finally passed out and his friends booed him, while Legolas smirked in triumph. I thought I caught glimpse of some money exchanging hands...

Eddy was caught up in watching the contest, and then he took a big drink out of his cup. He suddenly swayed and I caught him before he fell off of his chair. Confused and suspicious, I grabbed the cup he had just drank from and took a sniff. It was not his cup of water. Instead...it was dwarvish mead. Oh dear.

Eddy was already tipsy. He had a really weird smile on his face as he looked at me. "Hey, Iris," he slurred. "You're really pretty. I really like you."

Before I could react, he leaned forward and kissed me. Suddenly, it seemed as if everyone else in the room had fell silent. It was like all of my senses had turned off, and the only thing I could feel were Eddy's lips on mine. It wasn't...horrible, per say, but it wasn't like sparks flew or anything. I could definitely taste the drink on his lips.

When we pulled apart, I had a dazed expression on my face. Eddy and I just stared at each other. He had a happy smile on his face, and then his eyes rolled back into his head and he passed out. Great. My first kiss happened with a guy I liked (I think) who was drunk and probably didn't know what was happening.

Nobody noticed our kiss...except Hallie, Liz, and Haldir. Yay. Liz had her mouth open and gaping like a fish. Hallie was grinning from ear to ear, and Haldir just kind of looked...surprised? I didn't really know how to describe it.

Hallie turned to Liz with a "I told you so" expression on her face. Liz groaned. "Name the punishment," she said.

Knowing Hallie...she was going to dare Liz to do something. Liz put her head down on the table so she wouldn't be able to see the evil gleam in Hallie's eyes. "I dare you..," she started. "to kiss Legolas."

Liz's head shot up in shock. "What?! No!"

Hallie burst out laughing. "I'm kidding! That would be so awkward." She paused. "Although, it would be highly entertaining..."

Liz glared. "No. Not happening."

"Okay, then," Hallie said with an evil look on her face, "Spill something on one of the members of the Fellowship."

Liz groaned. "Do I get to choose the person?"

"Sure."

Liz grabbed a full cup (what it was filled with, I don't know) and wandered over towards the Fellowship. She faked a trip and the cup went flying into the air, spilling its contents on one very nicely groomed elvish princeling. The entire dining hall went silent for a second, and then burst into laughter. Liz apologized for her clumsiness and awkwardly shifted back towards us. Hallie and I were laughing.

"That... was... so worth it," Hallie said in between giggles.

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**Mwahahahaha! Poor Legolas. But his hair still looks okay, right? Stay tuned, more elf torture is coming up soon!**


	23. Light Humour in a Black Chasm

**Why hello again! Thanks to horseyyay, TheFlyingHobbit, and Spammerhead_shark_51 for your reviews. We would have made Liz kiss Legolas, horseyyay, but my co-author (the inspiration for Liz) was completely against the idea. But it's okay, because more Legolas-Liz awkwardness is coming up in this chapter!**

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**Hallie - Moria - June 18th**

If you think that the dwarves are just little bearded people who live in caves and never see sunlight, think again. We spent the past two days partying with the dwarves because they wouldn't let us leave. "One more drink," they'd say, or "Just one more song," and we'd end up staying for hours. Gimli and Legolas had plenty more drinking competitions, and Legolas won all of them. But then we found out that the dwarves had been hiding some elvish wine. So we gave the elvish wine to Legolas and the regular wine to Gimli. And, for the first time ever, Legolas passed out before Gimli (if you count a minute as a proper win). Finally, we were able to express to the dwarves the importance of our quest. So the dwarves stuffed our bags with food and drink and offered to guide us anywhere we needed to go in Moria.

That's when we realized that we had no idea where we needed to go. The note had only said to travel to the moonlit gates, where we'd find a secret to help us save Middle Earth. So... we stood there for a little bit, talking amongst ourselves and wondering where in the world this "secret" might be. I mean, when had Gandalf or Elrond had the time to hide a secret in Moria?

The last time Gandalf had been in Moria, it was with the Fellowship. And Aragorn, Legolas, and Gimli all swore that they'd never seen him put anything anywhere. No one knew when, if ever, Elrond had been to Moria- or if he'd hidden something.

You know what was really annoying? They could have just given us the secret in the letter that Iris found in the Rivendell library. We wouldn't have had to go on this exposition around Middle Earth- we could have just had the secret and saved the land. But no. Everything has to be secret, carried out with complete and utter mystery. Thanks a lot, Gandalf!

Then, Aragorn decided that we should split up- we'd cover more ground that way. We were to meet back at this very spot by nightfall. We split into four groups: Eddy and Iris (We all found this very funny- was Aragorn playing a joke on them?), Legolas and Liz (I almost laughed at that one- I wondered if she remembered my first dare from a few days ago), Haldir and Gimli (aw, another elf-dwarf bonding experience), and then Aragorn and I. We each took a hall- South, East, West, and North, respectively. We had no idea what we were looking for or if it was even here. At this point, we were just going on the faith that the letter from Gandalf had led us to the right place.

Aragorn and I wandered down the North hall, stopping every so often to thoroughly search different rooms. Most of the rooms had remained untouched by the dwarves as of yet, and so they were dusty and dark- and often littered with the skeletons of the dwarves who had fought for Moria some 30 years before. Even though I had seen battle and death, this place had an eerie feeling about it- and I think Aragorn felt it too.

Around two hours later, I sat down on the ground after searching yet another room. "This is crazy," I said, exhausted from our lack of luck, "We don't know what this secret looks like or even if it exists."

Aragorn sat down beside me, nodding in agreement. "Gandalf would not send us after something that doesn't exist."

"Still," I scoffed, "he could at least told us what we were looking for- you know, clearly. Like, 'You are looking for a magical glowing stone. Try going down the East Hall. First door on your left.'"

Aragorn laughed. "He always spoke in riddles. It would get pretty annoying sometimes, but I think he did it so that we could find our own path."

"What a wise guy," I muttered sarcastically. Don't get me wrong. I love Gandalf. But not when he sends us seemingly impossible quests to save the world.

Aragorn handed me some food and we just sat there, facing a dwarf skeleton, eating our lunch. I almost felt bad for a second- because we were eating right in front of the skeleton, you know, but then I remembered he was dead. You don't eat much when you're dead, and you don't get hungry either. Then I wondered if we were going to be spending every day underground until we found...whatever it was that we needed to find. Gandalf really should have been more clear with the stupid note. Seriously.

After our lunch, Aragorn and I looked over the room one last time and headed back out into the hall. We were walking along when I remembered something. In the Hobbit, Gandalf had left a mark on Bilbo's door to help the dwarves find their way to the "burglar's" house. Maybe he'd left a similar mark for us. I told this to Aragorn, and we made sure to thoroughly inspect all of the walls and doors (if there were any) as we walked along the path.

I wondered how the rest of the group was holding up. I'm sure it was awkward (again) between Iris and Eddy. Eddy didn't remember anything from the night he accidentally drank some of the dwarves' beer, and Iris wasn't about to bring it up. Sometimes I just wish that those guys would just admit their feelings for each other and start dating already. I'm sure Liz and Legolas were having a jolly old time. I supposed that Legolas was most likely trying to help Liz with everything he could so that her "clumsiness" didn't mess with his hair again. I laughed as I remembered Liz spilling what had turned out to be beer all over the elvish prince. Somehow, his hair still looked good afterwards, as Iris commented. Poor Haldir was stuck with Gimli. Though Gimli was called "elf-friend", he still loved to make fun of anything elvish.

Aragorn and I spent hours looking over what seemed like every room in Moria.

In one particular room, I was looking around when suddenly I fell through the floor and landed in a dark tunnel. Luckily it wasn't narrow and I landed in one piece. But it was pretty deep. And kind of wet and smelly. And I swear I felt something crawl over my hand. Now, I am usually okay with bugs...but at this point, I was tired, stuck in a tunnel and it was creepy.

"Hallie?" Aragorn called down, a fearful edge to his voice. I guess even Aragorn freaks out at times. He just does better at keeping it hidden, I guess.

"I'm fine!" I yelled back. I looked up, and I could still see Aragorn's face, looking down from far up. A little light reached down to where I was...but not enough to see.

Aragorn breathed a sigh of relief. I made a ball of magic light, careful to not hurt myself- or Aragorn, should I aim the ball at his head accidentally- and took a look around, for however short a time that my light lasted. The tunnel extended far out of my light's range. Whatever critters that may have been in the tunnel were invisible. On the walls I saw nails that extended all the way up to the top for people to climb up and down. Well...that would have been nice to know about...but I guess falling is more efficient. We'll just leave the danger out of the equation. Unfortunately, my little ball of light didn't last very long, and I had to make another.

"I can climb back up!" I informed Aragorn. I started to climb up. I wanted to explore...but I kinda wanted to bring a more stable light source with me...I'm still not completely in control with my magic. I almost fell a couple of times because the nails and soil were quite loose, but I managed to find better handholds and finally climbed back up.

It just so happened that Liz and Legolas walking into the room we were in. Liz looked at me and raised an eyebrow. "Hallie, what happened to you? You look like you fell or something,"

"I did, actually," I said, examining myself. I had a couple rips in my clothing, and I was covered in dirt. I was definitely going to take a nice bath after this whole ordeal.

"Whoa...you fell down here?" Liz knelt down beside the hole I had just climbed out of. "What's down there?"

"I wanted to explore, but I didn't have a good enough light source," I explained, trying to brush as much dirt as I could off my body.

"We should check it out!" Liz suggested excitedly.

"Perhaps it leads to the location of Gandalf's hidden secret," Legolas said.

Aragorn shrugged. "It's worth a try."

We carefully descended down to the tunnel, using my magic light to watch where we were going. Once we got to the bottom we lit some torches and we were on our way.

But before we could get very far, there was a sudden rumbling above our heads. We froze. Small pebbles fell down from the ceiling.

"This is too dangerous," Aragorn said, heading back the way we came. "We should turn back." I wanted to protest, but I knew he was right. Besides, we were all really tired and hungry. We could come back tomorrow, when were were refreshed and on our toes.

We met back with the others. All of them said that they hadn't found anything, except old monster and dwarf skeletons. Such a heartwarming bonding experience. Haldir looked even more terrified than he had been when he started through the tunnels. Eddy and Iris just awkwardly looked away from each other.

"We'll rest tonight, and tomorrow we'll begin our search again," Aragorn said.

Liz groaned. "Ugh...more walking,"

"What, you didn't like spending time with Legolas?" I teased.

"He's too...pretty boy. And eloquent. And graceful. Pretty much everything I'm not."

"Not your type, eh?"

"Heh. Nope."

I went to bed exhausted. It was going to be another busy, busy day tomorrow. I couldn't wait. Sort of.

**Liz - Moria, Moria, Moria (they really named this place well... "black chasm" is perfect) - June 19th**

I got pulled out of bed bright and early in the morning. And we all know how I am not a morning person. In fact, I literally slapped the person who shook me awake. And guess who it was. Legolas. Awesome. I just slapped the elvish pretty-boy princeling. On the plus side it took away the grogginess of the morning.

"Oh my gosh!" I exclaimed when I realized what I had just done. "I'm so sorry!"

Legolas rubbed his cheek. I was horrified to see a slight red mark on his face. Oh my goodness...I just marred the face of the pretty-boy! Hallie was never going to let me live this down. And fangirls were going to murder me.

"It's perfectly alright," Legolas said, flashing me a slight smile. No it really isn't, I thought. I just slapped you and I'm going to either get laughed off the face of the planet or mauled by fangirls. "Aragorn says that we must depart soon."

"Oh. Alright. Thanks." Legolas left the room and I hopped out of bed. Why didn't one of my friends wake me up? I had always thought that Legolas would be too "proper" to step into the bedroom of a "lady".

When I met up with my friends, Hallie greeted me with a smirk. "Hey, have you seen the mark on Legolas' face?"

I looked at her, eyes wide. "It's still not gone?"

Iris, hearing our conversation, walked over saying, "Nope. It's only slightly red, but it kind of stands out...I wonder what happened." Besides her, Eddy was trying to conceal a slight grin.

"Heh...funny story," I started sheepishly. I didn't know I slapped that hard! "I kinda...slapped him on accident when he woke me up..."

My friends all looked at me. Iris had her hand over her mouth, and she was trying not to laugh (and failing). Eddy and Hallie were "rolling on the floor laughing". Not literally, but you get the idea. It wasn't even that funny (I think), but I guess the stress had really caught up with us...

"You did?" Hallie managed to gasp. "That's hilarious!"

"It wouldn't have happened if one of you had woken me up instead." I huffed. "Where were you guys anyways?"

"We didn't want to suffer your wrath," Eddy snorted. Right...I knew for a fact that Eddy could have deflected my lame-ish slap with his taekwondo skillage.

"We were actually all getting ready and Aragorn and Legolas went around on wake-up duty," Iris explained. Thank you Iris. I don't know what I would do without your helpfulness. "But it's still really funny that you slapped him," she added, starting to laugh again. I just huffed.

Luckily...the mark faded before we went back into the caves. We all split up again, and I was left alone with Legolas again. Whoop-de-doo. I like Legolas...I really do. It just makes me uncomfortable when I'm alone with people who are perfect because I'm so far from it. It's like being left with the popular crowd to fend for yourself without looking like an idiot.

Anyways, we pretty much walked around aimlessly, making sure to mark our path so that we didn't get lost. There was nothing interesting but creepy skeletons, spiders, and the occasional rat. So exciting.

And then...we came across something very interesting. There was a giant, elaborate door inlaid with jewels and gold. It was pretty impressive.

"Do you know what this is?" I asked Legolas. My voice echoed in the room and I winced. Legolas and I hardly ever spoke, and when I did, I felt like my voice was louder than it should have been.

"I believe this may lead to the chamber of the dwarven kings of old," Legolas said in his overly-proper voice.

"That makes sense," I said. "How do we open the doors?"

"I believe it is no longer possible to open these doors," Legolas said.

"Well that's helpful," I mumbled. I searched around the door, trying to see if there was a latch of some sort. There was a keyhole on the door...but the key must have gotten lost when Moria was taken over. Who knows what Balin had done with it. Maybe he destroyed it to keep the chamber safe forever. Why couldn't things be simple for once? I gave up and sat down on the ground to rest. If Gandalf had hidden the secret in that room, then Middle Earth was doomed because there was no way to get in anymore.

I was about an inch away from falling into a hole very similar to the one Hallie had fallen into. When I saw it, I immediately scooted far away. Legolas noticed my movement and came over to see what was going on. I silently pointed out the hole to him.

"Interesting. It is quite similar to the one from yesterday. Perhaps we should explore?"

I agreed, since it was way more interesting than walking around again. We slowly descended, even without Hallie's ball of light. Legolas somehow carried a torch down with us without dropping it. The tunnel led straight in the direction of the King's Chambers. I got excited. Maybe this was the way in!

And then...there was a hiss next to my face. I shrieked as I felt some acid burn my arm, making me drop the torch I was holding. The flame spluttered out and died, but not before we glimpsed the face of a spider. Gah. I didn't even know there were spiders in Moria! Legolas quickly shot the spider, killing it.

We sat there, breathing heavily, waiting to see if there were more coming. We finally concluded that it must have been a lone spider. Legolas decided that we should head back so he could treat my wound in better lighting. It was quite painful.

I barely made it to the top. Burning flesh is not fun. Do not try at home. The acid was probably something mild, as it didn't completely burn through my muscle to the bone or anything like that. When Legolas tied a bandage tightly around the burned flesh, I nearly blacked out from the pain. Well...at least it wasn't my face...

Legolas let me rest for a while, giving me a little Miruvor to drink. It helped me get my strength up again.

"Perhaps we should turn back," Legolas suggested.

"No, we can keep going. I want to know where the tunnel leads." I stood up, trying to look like I wasn't in too much pain.

We quickly shouldered our lightweight packs again, and stood up, only to be brought down again by a great rumbling. I just barely rolled out of the way to avoid landing on my arm.

"What was that?" I asked frantically.

"Nothing good," Legolas concluded, as rocks started falling from the ceiling. "Run," he ordered. And I complied. I stood up, praying that I wouldn't fall again, or I would be done for. Rocks fell behind us, and we ran like mad men. And then, by a miracle and sheer luck, the rumbling stopped. We stopped to catch our breath and saw the rocks behind us, sealing the passageway.

"Well," I gasped. "If Gandalf hid the secret there, we're never going to get to it now,"

Legolas nodded. He recovered much faster than I did, his breathing even while my heartbeat still raced. Ugh...I was so out of shape! That's a really bad thing when running for your life.

We decided to turn back. The last thing we needed was to still be there if there was another cave-in. It seemed that the others had the same idea as well. They had felt the rumbling, and had decided it was too dangerous to continue.

I felt so disappointed. How were we ever going to discover Gandalf's secret now?

"These caves are too unstable, unused for too long," Aragorn said. "I believe it would be unwise to keep on searching blindly. We can do some research, and perhaps when we have a better idea of what we are looking for and how to find it, we will try again."

The others nodded in agreement. I felt a flicker of hope burst up. Maybe there was still a chance...

And then I noticed something. And the world suddenly came crashing down.

"Where are Eddy and Iris?"

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**Oh my... I suppose I left y'all on another cliffhanger, didn't I? Well, I'll try my best to update Monday, but I have to go back to school that day (bleh) so I might update Sunday and take y'all out of your misery. What happened to Eddy and Iris, anyway? #EdwirisMoments!**


	24. Edwiris Forever!

**Hey! Back to school today, yay. But I still managed to update for you guys (so you should give me a through-the-internet high five or something. Gosh, we had a lot of reviews/follows/favorites this week, so thanks to: AprilChase, our Guest (who posted under the name edwiris4ever- that literally made me laugh so hard, so edwiris4ever, this chapter is dedicated to you), TheFlyingHobbit, drowstothesun, and, of course, horseyyay. **

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**Eddy - One of the darkest, creepiest, places in Middle Earth (fun, fun) - June 19th**

I really hate Gandalf right now. Seriously. Why didn't he tell us how to find his secret? Or give us a hint? Like, maybe there will be a glowing trail or something. But then I guess it wouldn't be a secret anymore...ugh...

"This is pointless," I said, marking another room with a red dye. We all got some dye to mark the rooms that had already been looked through. We got red. It looks like blood. Super creepy.

"Agreed," Iris said, sighing. Iris has been acting strangely lately...she won't look me in the eye, but I can't figure out what I did. I did wake up with a splitting headache one day...but I don't remember anything. Which is bad...because I have no idea what I did.

"I wish we could just find whatever Gandalf hid and get out of this place," I said.

"Yeah," Iris said, going down another corridor. We walked in silence for a while, before Iris said, "Hey, Eddy?"

"Hm?"

"If you knew what was going to happen, would you have gotten on that boat in New York?"

I didn't answer for a while. It was kind of a hard question. I mean...it was pretty cool to meet Legolas and Aragorn and all those people...but then there was Raordell and this whole mess we were in. Liz and I laughed together like old times again, but deep down, we both knew that our friendship would never be the same.

"Well...we've learned a lot about ourselves and each other during this trip, so I think that I would still want to have this trip. Although...I could have made better decisions."

"Yeah, me too," Iris agreed. We fell silent again. "What about us?" Iris piped up again, hesitantly. "What are we? Like...what's our relationship like?"

Her question threw me on a loop. My mind whirled. What was I supposed to say? I think I might be in love with you. But then...I knew she didn't like me back. If I said that...things would forever be awkward with us. Our friendship would be ruined. And that would be terrible.

"I - well," I stammered. Then I took a deep breath and started over. "You've always been there for me, and you're one of the best friends I could ever ask for. You've always been an...ominous presence in my life, I guess, if that makes any sense, and you have a good heart." Gosh...that sounded so lame. And cheesy. And it definitely did not sum up my feelings.

She smiled at me, though I couldn't read the emotions that flickered through her eyes. She didn't reply, and my heart gave a pang. What was she thinking? What did she think of me? Why did girls have to be so complicated?

More and more awkward walking into boring caves with boring rocks and creepy skeletons. After lunch, we walked into the next chamber, which was surprisingly lit. There weren't any torches though. The room just kinda...glowed. And then we saw a huge door. It rose all the way to the ceiling (which had gotten higher). There were some patterns inlaid in gold on the green-painted door.

"Whoa," Iris breathed. "I want a door like this."

I examined the door closer. Then I looked up and saw some inscriptions in dwarvish at the top. "Hey, can you read that?" I asked, pointing. "Maybe that's the way to open the door."

"I think I can," Iris said squinting. She had to stand farther back so that she could actually read the whole thing without having to bend her neck uncomfortably.

I never got to know what that door said, because when Iris read it aloud it was in a different language. There was a sudden rumbling, and the doors swung open.

"Sweet!" I exclaimed. "Great job Iris!"

We walked in. The room was magnificent. It was also mysteriously lit by some magical power, and I saw a majestic throne at the other side of the room. Random patterns covered the floor. There were great tapestries hung from the walls. They looked really dusty, but you could still see the pictures portrayed on them. Dwarvish history, I guess. I saw one with a fallen dragon and three familiar dwarves, surrounded by flowers as they were honored and laid to rest. I stood there for a moment, paying homage to the great dwarves of old.

"This must be the King's Chamber," I said.

"Yeah," Iris agreed. "Look at these jewels! There are so many! And they're placed in such elaborate patterns. The dwarves must have been really rich in the olden days."

Iris ran over to sit on the elaborate throne. She sat there, looking around the room. I guess the view must have been really nice from the throne. She was completely dwarfed (pun unintended) by the humongous throne. Her boots didn't reach the floor. And then I looked up. There was a glowing stone. It reflected off onto the floor, illuminating it. Thinking it may have been a clue, I examined the floor, but only saw more meaningless patterns. Disappointed, I sighed again.

Iris heard my sigh and looked over at where I was kneeling. Then she let out a sharp gasp. "Eddy! Move away from there!"

I was surprised, but I did as I was told. "There's this...design on the floor. I guess it's only visible from the throne, because it's a secret that only the king knows about!"

I nodded. It made sense. But what did the design mean? And what would it reveal? "What does the design look like?" I asked.

"There are fours symbols. There's an eagle, a flower, a pair of crossed swords, I think, and...a swirl type thingy."

"Weird," I commented. "I have no idea what it means."

I switched places with Iris, and sure enough, the meaningless patterns melted into four symbols, all in a line next to each other. The crossed swords caught my eye. One of them looked a lot like Hallie's sword, Elyon. I had never really examined it closely, but the resemblance was striking.

And then it clicked. The symbols represented me and my friends. I was the eagle, with my eyesight. Iris was the flower, with her herbs and spells and stuff. Hallie was obviously the crossed swords, and the swirly pattern must have been Liz, my shadewalking friend.

"I got it!" I shouted excitedly. "Iris, go...five steps to your right."

She gave me a funny look, but complied. As soon as she stepped on the flower symbol, there was a small 'click', and the pattern sank slightly into the ground and started glowing with a green light. Iris gasped. "What just happened?"

"I think the symbols represent us. I'm the eagle, you're the flower, Hallie's the swords, and Liz is the swirl."

Realization dawned on her eyes. "That makes sense!"

"Maybe when we all stand on our symbols, something will happen," I said.

"We have to go tell the others!" Iris exclaimed.

She lept off her spot and started racing towards the door. I put my hands on the sides of the throne to help myself hop off. I started following Iris, when suddenly the doors to the throne room slammed shut. Iris shrieked in surprise.

"What just happened?" Iris asked.

"I have no idea," I said. "Try saying the words again to open it."

But before Iris got the chance, she was knocked off her feet by an earth shaking rumble. I was knocked off the throne. I looked up and realized that the forceful slamming of the doors had made cracks in the already-unstable wall. A part of the ceiling started coming down. Iris tried to get up, but was knocked down again by another shake.

"Iris!" I flew across the room, desperate to get there and help before she was crushed. I tripped just a few feet before I reached her. "No!" I shouted, getting up as fast as I could.

I reached her just in the nick of time, and pushed her out of the way. Then a rock fell down on my leg before I could crawl out of the way. I cried out in pain.

"Eddy!" Iris shrieked, trying to come over and help me. She didn't get far before another rock slammed down in front of her.

I closed my eyes and waited for the inevitable, my only regret that I couldn't stay alive to ensure that Iris would still be safe.

**Someone's Thoughts- Make a Guess**

The seer and the healer came into the room, excited as they ran around, looking at pictures on the wall and the treasures that littered the room. The healer, the girl, ran up to sit in the throne. After a few minutes, she shouted something at the seer, who quickly changed places with her on the throne. He directed her a few steps to the right. The man was tired of this game.

The pair were about to run out of the room. He had to do it now. Letting his shadows fall away, he watched as the rocks tumbled down on the people below. If it killed them, all the better. The boy knocked the girl out of the way of a particularly large boulder. The rock landed on his leg, making the seer scream in pain.

The dust in the air was soon too thick. The man couldn't see his victims below him. Assuming they were dead, he took his leave. He didn't know what they were searching for, but he did know that it had the power to unravel his plans. If he could distract the others with the disappearance of their comrades, it would give him enough time to search for the secret on his own.

The man ran away from the King's Chambers where the bodies of the archer and the healer now rest. Using his shadows, he made himself lighter on his feet. As he passed the Elf-Prince and Elizabeth, also running from the cave-in, he made himself unseen to the pair. It was a shame, he thought, that Elizabeth had to be lost to them. She would have made a wonderful pupil. Oh well. He could always use her power in different ways.

The rest of the flea-ridden group converged on their "meeting place". After a few minutes of talking, one of them noticed the disappearance of their two friends. The group ran off, leaving their things unattended.

The man ransacked the camp, looking for any clue about this "secret". He found none. Frustrated, he started a fire to warm the dark chambers of Moria. And then he kicked their supplies into the flames.

**Iris - S.O.S! - June 19th**

I watched in helpless horror as Eddy disappeared under the falling rocks. "No," I breathed. He couldn't be dead! Not after... we'd found it. We'd found out how... how to get the secret. We'd come so close. I shrieked, awakened from my stupor as another rock tumbled down next to my head. I leapt out of the way at the last second.

I landed deeper in the room, close to the throne. Miraculously, the throne and the patterns on the floor had not been harmed. I clambered up into the golden chair, curling up in a ball and waiting for the ceiling to stop caving in. When the final boulders fell down from above and an eerie silence filled the room, I dared to step off of my perch on the throne. "Eddy?" I called, tentatively, careful not to raise my voice so much that the ceiling's DIY make-over project would not start up again.

"Iris." Eddy's voice was little more than a whisper, and choked with pain.

"Eddy, keep talking to me so I know where you are." I started moving closer to the mass of rocks in front of the door.

"Um... I'm over here... I like airplanes?" Eddy started coughing, and then I caught a glimpse of his fingers over the top of the rocks. I moved closer, and finally saw Eddy, the lower half of his body caught under a large rock. His face was contorted in pain. I crept down into the hole in which he'd been buried.

"Oh, geez, Eddy..." I breathed. He'd gotten himself pretty stuck. "Okay," I said, trying to sound more confident than I felt, "We're going to get you out of here. Give me your hand. I'm going to pull you out on three, okay? One... two... three..."

On three, I pulled. Eddy started moving, terrifyingly slowly. And then he cried out. "Stop! STOP!" he screamed.

I stopped. I couldn't bear to see him in this much pain. "It's... it's okay, Iris," Eddy managed to say, panting from the pain. "It just hurts... I think my legs may be broken."

Or smashed to pieces, I thought. I stopped myself. I couldn't think about this... not right now. Nope. "Okay," I said, drawing a shaky breath, "We'll try something else. Let's see if I can lift this boulder up long enough for you to crawl out."

I looked around and located the object I needed. Climbing out of Eddy's hole, I scrambled over the rocks and grabbed a large wooden beam. I could use it to lift the boulder. I slid back down near Eddy, slammed the wood into position, and pushed, using the wood as a lever. The boulder moved up about a centimeter. Eddy used the opportunity to try to drag himself out from under the rock. He didn't get very far before my strength gave out.

"We'll just keep trying," I ground out, frustrated with myself. Eddy nodded, smiling half-heartedly at me, although I could see he was in excruciating pain. After a couple minutes of rest and a deep breath, I tried again to lift the rock. Eddy slid out by a few more inches. Again and again I lifted the rock. The ordeal went on for what seemed like hours. Finally, Eddy was free from the rock.

I knelt down to examine his legs and side. He had a long gash on his side that was deep enough to show some of the white bone of his ribs. His legs were bloody and bent at unnatural angles. I could see the bone protruding out of one. To think that he had gotten that trying to save me...I could never have asked for a better friend.

I helped him straighten his legs and used some water and healing spells to clean and heal his smaller surface wounds, and then set about starting to heal his legs and the deeper gash on his side. Using a very simple, albeit powerful archcure, I lifted my hand over his leg and muttered, "Poika tel' taurninin."

I allowed my energy to pour into him, to heal him. It's a very enlightening experience, healing. To watch- and feel- another life come back to the light when it seems darkness has a hold on it. To banish the dark of hurt and death from a body. Unfortunately, I was tired from helping him out from under the rock, and couldn't do much for his wounds before I felt like I was going to pass out. I sat back for a second, trying to regain a bit of my strength, and then started to heal him again. But it was too much.

"I...I have to stop for a second..." I said, panting. I was sweating and weak. I looked down at his wounds. The gash in his side wasn't as deep anymore, and his legs were somewhat straight.

"Thank you, Iris," Eddy rasped. He could barely speak. My tears dripped down onto his shirt. I couldn't save him. I was too weak. "I didn't really mean what I said, you know, earlier, about you being my friend."

I almost gasped, but caught myself. What could he mean? "What... what do you mean?" I asked, nervous for the answer.

"I... I think I... I love you, Iris."

I turned to stare into his eyes, almost gasping for breath. "I...I...I love you too." He gave a little half smile. I almost choked, because I couldn't bear it if I never saw that smile again. "Eddy, please don't leave me."

"Sorry Iris." Eddy coughed. "That's one promise I won't be able to keep."

"No," I gasped, watching his eyes close. I put his head on my lap, brushing his blond locks, which were longer than usual, away from his face. I put my head to his chest, feeling my head rise and fall slightly, listening to the beating of his heart.

Hoping...hoping that the sound would never go away.

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**Oh, gosh, #EdwirisMoments, everyone! (If you're wondering about the hashtags, my comrade and I agree that everything is more fun to write with a hashtag in front.) I'm afraid I left you on another cliffhanger, but we'll be back Thursday! A special shout-out to my comrade for being Liz, and our friends for being the inspiration for Iris and Eddy! (If you didn't do the math, that means I inspired Hallie.)**

**#EDWIRISFOREVER! (Or at least how long Eddy stays alive)**


	25. Thanks A Lot, Gandalf!

**Hey, everyone! I'm baaack! And you know what that means- this chapter decides the fate of Edwiris. Le gasp. So, thanks to edwiris4ever, horseyyay, and TheFlyingHobbit for reviewing this week! Oh, and to edwiris4ever: Sadly, my real-life Eddy and Iris are not dating, though Liz and I are so hoping they will eventually find their love for each other. **

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**Hallie - The Deep and Dark Places of the World - June 19th**

My friends are missing in Moria. I'd freak out, but this is all starting to seem so... normal. I mean, really. We're in a mine, running from a Shadewalker of unknown power who has a personal vengeance against Liz, searching for a Secret that may or may not exist to try to save Middle Earth. And then Iris and Eddy go missing. Yeah... welcome to my normal, everyday life since April. I might as well stay calm, since freaking out doesn't help.

I must be going insane.

Or maybe that's how Legolas, Aragorn, and Gimli are so calm all the time. They've done this before - having the safety of Middle Earth threatened, fighting constantly and running away from evil forces of unforeseen power. I finally understand.

So here we are, running through Moria (I wonder what memories that brought back for the three members of the original Fellowship. I'm pretty sure Gimli was checking over his shoulder every so often to make sure a balrog was not right behind him.). We hit the West hallway, where Eddy and Iris had been looking.

While everyone else was busy looking through the rooms for any sign of Iris and Eddy, I ran on ahead. I had this nagging feeling that that rumbling that had drawn the rest of us back to the meeting place had something to do with Eddy and Iris' disappearance. I stopped short when I found it. A pile of rocks, five times taller than me, blocking an ornately carved door.

I shouted, sending everyone running in my direction. "I bet this is where they're trapped."

As if sending us an answer, the door bulged outwards ever so slightly, sending some of the smaller rocks tumbling towards us.

"If this is where they are trapped," Aragorn started, "We may never be able to retrieve them. There's no way in, and there is also a chance that they may be dead."

"No," Liz said, voice trembling. "They can't be dead. They just can't." Liz was losing it. I didn't want to think about what would happen if Iris and Eddy were really dead, or I would lose it too.

"Wait," said Legolas, as if remembering something. "When Liz and I were here earlier, she found another entrance to a tunnel. It led right underneath the King's Chambers. Unfortunately, we weren't able to explore it to its full extent because Liz was attacked by a spider and then there was a cave-in."

"That must have been the same cave-in that trapped Iris and Eddy," I mused, doing the math in my head. "Well, we'd better hope that the tunnel didn't actually cave in. It's our only possible way to find our friends."

"Then we must make haste and find them as soon as possible," Aragorn said.

"But it was covered during the cave-in!" Liz wailed. I wanted to slap her upside the head for not using her brain, but I figured it wouldn't really help.

I stopped. "What if that tunnel connects to the one I found yesterday?"

Aragorn mused for a second. "It's worth a try."

So we wandered back to the North Hall, finding the room where I had fallen into the tunnel. One by one, we crept down the hole, using my little ball of magic light to illuminate our steps.

I don't like tunnels. Well, I do, when they're at Disneyland. It's fun to explore the paths through the mountains on Tom Sawyer's Island. But creepy, dark, and old tunnels that are filled with giant, acid-spitting spiders are not on the top of my list of Fun Places. Who knew what was down here?

I led the group, holding my magic ball of light in front of me to light the way. I'd been practicing with my magic, and I was able to get the light to come up at will (obviously). I could also determine whether I wanted to fire it or not (still working on that). But my real trouble, it seemed, was making the light stay lit... or actually do some damage. It still took a lot of thought to conjure up the light (Iris said that it shouldn't), and the light didn't stay with me for very long. As if reading my thoughts, the light went out. Muttering under my breath about stupid lights that seemed to have a mind of their own, I lit another one and we continued down the tunnel.

It's a long tunnel. I mean, sheesh. Plus, there were a lot of twists and turns, and we kept getting lost, because we didn't know which direction to go in. We tried to move in the general direction of the chamber, but sometimes there were two or three tunnels going in the same direction. It would have been really really helpful if Eddy wasn't one of the people who was trapped. His sense of direction and navigation skills would have made life a whole lot easier.

And we also had to be on constant alert for spiders and other creatures. The last thing we needed was another injured member of our company. Liz, for once, wasn't saying anything, but I could tell that she was not doing well. Inside, she was hysterical because she was worried for our friends, and the poison in her system didn't help either.

Finally, we reached the opening that Liz and Legolas had found the other day. The cave-in hadn't covered the hole, it seemed, only the area around it. What luck. So all this walking was for naught. Great. Legolas poked his head out and told us that he could see the door, so we were on the right track. We continued forward.

The tunnel started slanting up. There was an opening that was lower than the others. We didn't have to climb anything to reach it. We had found the opening into the king's chamber. Well, at least we thought it was. It had a covering over it, sort of like a manhole cover. I guess it was there so that none of the dwarves would fall when they were trying to serve the king, or whatever.

"How are we going to get it open?" Haldir wondered aloud.

"Well, there has to be a way to open it," I said. "The king probably used this to get in and out of the chamber when he needed too, or his advisors or soldiers and whatnot probably came through here too."

"True," Aragorn mused. "We'll just have to figure out how."

We tried everything. First, we tried to find some sort of button or catch that would make it pop open. Then we had Liz try to use shadewalking to push it open. Nothing worked. I was so frustrated. I wished that I could just blast the darn thing open but I figured that wouldn't be such a great idea...

Our torches were starting to go out. Time was running short. I banged my hands on the wall in frustration. And then something brushed my cheek. A small shadow tendril, barely visible, stretched out above my head and slipped into a barely visible hole. There was a quiet, almost indiscernible click, and the cover slid open. Everyone looked up in surprise as light filled the corridor.

"Hey, Liz!" I called. "Great job!"

"Huh?" she looked confused.

"How'd you figure out that you could use shadows to open the lock?" Honestly, it didn't really make sense, but Liz was smart too, so I guess she somehow figured it out. When she's desperate, she gets pretty good ideas.

"Oh, um," she paused. "I thought maybe the holes had some purpose, I guess."

Something in her tone of voice was suspicious...but before I could think much of it, a voice called, "Hallie? Liz?"

"Iris?" I hopped out of the hole as fast as I could. In the dim light, I saw her sitting in front of a huge pile of boulders. I ran towards her, and as I got closer, the view did not get better. Eddy was lying on her lap, with what looked like a gash down his side from his armpit to the top of his waist. It was bleeding. His legs, I could tell, had been broken. As I drew closer, I noticed that his eyes were closed. Iris' face was pale and covered in sweat. Her hands were shaky and she looked like she was going to pass out. "Something... I need to tell..." she muttered, but I stopped her.

"Quiet. We have to get you feeling better. Let's get you out of this dusty room." I hoisted her up and tried to think of a way to get Eddy back without losing too much blood.

She grabbed my hand, her grip surprisingly strong and her voice firm. "No. The Secret... is here." Well...that was just a great stroke of luck there. Thanks, Gandalf. Did you know that one of the important components of the quest of yours almost died?

Just then, Liz ran up, eyes wide with horror. "Oh God. What happened to you guys?" Her voice bordered on the edge of hysteria.

Iris started crying. "Eddy pushed me out of the way of the rocks. W-we were r-running out to tell you guys that...that the secret is hidden here. We...we figured it out. But now -" Iris couldn't finish her sentence because of her sobs.

"I don't think we can move him," I said, trying to keep from crying of frustration and desperation. "He's bleeding too much. There's no way he could survive until he could get medical assistance."

By now, the rest of our party had joined us. Haldir looked horrified and he was probably just as hysterical as Liz, although he did a better job of hiding it. Aragorn looked upon Eddy with sadness, along with Legolas. Gimli had his head bowed, like he was preparing himself. Seeing their faces, my resolve strengthened. I was not going to let Eddy die. We had gone through so much, and he had so much ahead of him. I was going to figure out how to save him, not for Middle Earth, but for our friendship.

"Iris," I said, my voice slightly trembling. I didn't even know if there was a way, but I was going to try. "I know you're weak, but is there any way that you could strengthen yourself?"

She seemed to not even hear me. She just kept crying. Something inside me snapped.

"Get a hold of yourself!" I cried, pushing away all my doubts and fears. There was a way to save Eddy and he was going to live. "You're not doing Eddy any favors by crying. There is a way to save him! I know it! Didn't Arwen ever teach you anything? If anyone can save Eddy, it's you, Iris. You're a powerful healer. There has to be a way!"

My words shook her. Her tears cleared, and she thought for a moment, then said. "You...you're right. There is a way. It's - it's dangerous."

"We're already in danger. This won't be much different," I said.

"Let's do it," Liz spoke up. My words had gotten to her too, it seemed. She stood up stronger.

"I"m going to b-borrow your energy. I can't take too much though, or you'll die," Iris explained.

"There are many of us here," Aragorn said. "And you and your friends are quite strong in your own right."

Iris nodded, trying to be brave. Closing her eyes, she held out one hand. "Ama poldora," she said, her voice strong and sure. A small, dim light appeared in her hand. She held it out to me. I took a deep breath, and linked my hand with hers.

I don't know how to describe the feeling of lending my energy to someone. It's kind of like...something's being pulled out from deep inside you. There was this enormous pressure, and I felt myself go weak, like I had just run a marathon. My legs grew weaker, and I knelt on the ground. But out of the corner of my eye, I saw the light grow brighter and I knew it was working.

I felt Liz grab my hand, and the pressure alleviated a little. With each new person that joined our chain, the pressure lifted a little more. Eventually, the pulling stopped. Iris closed her eyes again, spoke something indiscernible, and the light dissolved into her skin. She seemed to glow for a little bit, and then the light disappeared.

"Tanka tel' taurnin," she said. Her hands began to glow green. With her renewed energy, I watched as Eddy's tissue started to mend. Then his legs seemed to straighten. And then the glow faded. We all held our breath. Then Eddy coughed, and sat up.

"Eddy!" Liz and I shrieked. Even though we felt pretty weak, we hugged him with all our strength.

"Can't...breathe...," he panted, but I could hear the smile in his voice.

"Sorry," we apologized and moved away. All the rest of the guys in the group went and patted Eddy on the back. He winced slightly - the wounds hadn't all disappeared, but he wasn't bleeding anymore.

"Glad to have you back in the land of the living," Haldir said.

"Glad to be back," Eddy replied. And then his eyes fell on Iris, who was grinning ear to ear with happiness and relief. And then, to our surprise, he grabbed her hand, and drew her closer for a kiss.

Iris let out a little squeak, and her face turned bright red. "Eddy," she said, moving away. "People are watching." Oh, come on, Iris... you just ruined the moment.

"I don't care," Eddy said, and drew her back for a passionate kiss.

**Liz - June 20th - King's Chamber**

So my friends didn't die. If they had died... I don't know what I would have done. What would we have told their parents? Oh, by the way, we went on a mystical journey to Middle Earth, where we were sent on a quest to save Middle Earth by Gandalf and then your children got crushed by a cave-in in Moria.

Yeah...that wouldn't go over so well.

Right now though... they were making me want to gag. Now that Eddy had evidently "confessed his love", they kept giving each other sappy looks. They were also holding hands and happily oblivious to the world around them.

We had decided to wait a day before we went back into the King's Chamber, to give Eddy and Iris a chance to rest. Not that they really needed it...Iris did a good job of healing Eddy. But it was still nice to have a rest after the emotional trauma we all went thorough.

Eddy and Iris had been feeding each other during dinner last night and breakfast this morning. I had to resist the urge to facepalm or roll my eyes. I mean...I'm glad they're happy, but really? Excessive PDA makes their friends sick! I was getting major Oogies just looking at them (if you don't know what Oogies are...shame).

Anyways...back to the point. We were now venturing down into the tunnels again. I hoped this would be the last time. This secret that Gandalf hid for us better be good.

Along the way, Iris and Eddy took turns explaining the whole button system thing. I had to admit, it was pretty ingenious. Something only the king could see, and something only the four of us could unlock. Or so we assumed. I mean...if the buttons didn't require the actual people they were meant for to open them, then the secret would have probably been found a long time ago.

We finally got to the King's Chamber. It was slightly creepy...especially with the blood stains on the floor. When Eddy saw them he kinda paled a little bit and looked at Iris with relief. Anyways. Aragorn sat on the throne, looking as regal as ever. He thought the button symbols were pretty ingenious too. Great minds think alike. Ha... right...

For the actual "procedure", if you will, Aragorn let Haldir sit on the throne and direct us, just for kicks. At first... he was pretty incompetent. He told us to go left when we were supposed to go right. He also couldn't figure out which symbol went with which person at first so nothing happened and that worried us until he realized his mistake (our theory was correct). Luckily, he got the hang of it before Aragorn got exasperated and kicked him off the throne. Even though Aragorn would have been more efficient in giving directions, it was fun to let Haldir have his "moment of fame".

When all the buttons clicked in place there was a scary rumbling and I freaked out because I was afraid that if we moved, then we wouldn't be able to get the secret, but if we didn't move, we might get crushed by crumbling boulders. But...nothing happened. Thank goodness.

The floor opened up and there was this compartment type thing, and lying inside, was a rolled up parchment and a blue, glowing stone sitting next to it.

The secret was...kind of disappointing. It was a map. I mean, it was pretty well drawn and all that but...really? What if it had disintegrated before we got there? It was just a rolled up sheet of paper, and that was it. The stone was more interesting, but we had no idea what it did (Again. No explanations, no hints, no nothing. Thanks Gandalf), but we knew that it probably had some significance. We gave it to Iris for safekeeping.

We headed back to the spot where we'd stashed our things. When we arrived, the smell of smoke was thick in the air and where our fire had been burning was a large pile of charred backpacks and cloaks. All of our supplies had been burnt.

I'd say we salvaged what we could, but there was nothing that was even remotely worth saving. So we walked back to the entrance of Moria with naught but the clothes on our backs. Luckily, the dwarves took pity on us when they heard what had happened and gave us some new packs filled with food and supplies.

"Who would do something like that?" asked Iris as we walked towards the entrance.

"The real question is: who would have been able to sneak past the dwarves and do something like that?" Hallie replied. "I don't think that one of the dwarves did it... unless they're working for Raordell."

Raordell. Sometimes, in my dreams, I heard his voice. He wanted me to do terrible things. Murder my friends. Help him. I ran away, but there was always something to chase me. A warg. A vulture. They grabbed at me, dragged me down, bringing me pain as I continued to struggle.

I tore my thoughts away from my former mentor.

Iris flinched, ever so slightly, when she heard the name. Eddy put his arm protectively around her and glared at us. Needless to say, that was the end of our conversation.

When we finally got outside into fresh air again, I vowed never to go into underground caves again unless there was mortal danger or something.

Aragorn arranged a meeting for the next day so that we could look over the map and figure out what we had to do. We had a great feast. We ate well and out in the fresh air, which was really nice after eating meals underground for a couple of days.

Now that Eddy and Iris were "together", Hallie and I told Eddy about what happened when he had been drunk, much to the couple's mortification. Then Hallie told Eddy about my dare, and that made him feel better, because I had to suffer at his expense. Great friends I have...although I guess I sort of deserved it, with the whole Raordell incident and all.

Hallie turned to talk to Aragorn about something or another. I zoned out. Something had been bugging me since yesterday. When the door was opened by a shadow and Hallie thought it was me...well, it wasn't. I don't know what happened, but I had been distracted because a worm had crawled onto my foot and I was trying to get it off without screaming and making as scene. I had just gotten the disgusting worm off my foot when Hallie congratulated me on "figuring out" how the mechanism worked. I had been quite confused. That hadn't been my shadow.

So if it wasn't mine...whose was it?

There was only one other person I knew who was a Shadewalker. But...how could it have been Raordell? How could he have followed us? The more I thought about it, the more it made sense that it was Raordell in the mines. By becoming invisible, he could have easily slipped past the dwarves and followed us without us noticing. He'd said that I'd be sorry for choosing my friends over him, and by destroying our stuff (luckily Aragorn hadn't let Elrond's and Gandalf's letters out of his sight), he'd started to make good on that promise. I almost felt like I was the one who had drawn him here.

But...what did he want with us in the first place? I mean, I knew he'd been looking for a powerful Shadewalker for a long time... but still. Why me? And what did he need me for?

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***Big Collective Sigh of Relief* Edwiris survives Moria, and their love grows ever the stronger. So... where to next? And what does Raordell need Liz for? Dun-dun-dun... one of these questions will be answered... next time. So stay tuned!**


	26. Onward!

**Well, hey! We're back (sadly Gandalf has not yet needed our help in his missions). Thanks to AprilChase, edwiris4ever, TheFlyingHobbit, and horseyyay for reviewing/favoriting/following. Hope you enjoy the chapter!**

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**Eddy - June 23rd - Cloud Nine (I think I'm in love...)**

I woke up this morning and there she was. Iris. She was in her sleeping bag next to me, looking peaceful with her hair splayed over her pillow. There were a few leaves tangled in her hair, and I moved to pick them out. Iris stirred, but didn't wake up. I smiled and let her sleep. Yesterday had been a pretty hectic day.

So, the meeting. It had lasted a really long time. Because Gandalf just had to take lots of precautions to make sure that only we could find out the secrets of the map. Thank you, Gandalf. You... are so annoying. Couldn't you have at least given us a couple of hints? Of course not...Gandalf doesn't ever do things the easy way.

Anyways. We had all huddled around the map. Upon closer inspection, we had seen that something was wrong. The map only had a few lines drawn here and there, along with a very elaborate border (that had no purpose whatsoever) and a compass at the bottom right hand corner.

We had almost torn out our hair trying to figure out what the map was supposed to be telling us. We tried reading it with the glowing stone, but all we got was a blue-colored map. Then we thought they might be moon-runes, because Gandalf likes fancy stuff like that. So, we stayed up all night. Most moon-runes can be read in any type of moonlight, but some can only be read in the light of a moon the same shape and season of which they were written. In those cases, you can usually tell what moon they need... but no such luck with our mysterious map.

We didn't want to waste any more time, so we started looking for more clues on the map. Hallie lit up her little blue light and held it over the paper, careful not to incinerate it or anything. That was when I saw something glinting in the bottom right-hand corner of the map, right above the North arrow of the compass rose.

"Hallie," I said, "Hold your light closer over here."

She moved her hand closer, and I saw strange markings appear on the paper. Aragorn noticed the markings, and started to look at them. "They're written in ancient Dwarfish," he muttered, clearly frustrated.

I looked over at Gimli. "Sorry, lad, we weren't taught the old languages when I was a child," he replied with a shrug.

Legolas' and Haldir's responses were pretty much along the same lines. I remembered that Elrond could read ancient Dwarfish, but obviously, he wasn't here. He wasn't even in Middle Earth anymore. Great.

Hallie moved closer, interested. I was just about to tell her to move her light around the rest of the map to see if there was a translation (or anything else in particular) when I heard a voice say, "There once was a castle of the sea..."

I looked over to see Iris squinting at the paper, deep in concentration.

"What are you talking about?" Liz asked, confused.

"Um... I guess I can read Ancient Dwarfish," Iris responded. She looked about as confused as the rest of us. "I knew I could understand- and now speak- Sindarian, but I didn't know about Dwarfish."

We all looked at her in awe. She knew ancient Dwarfish? What else was new? New powers kept popping up, it seemed. Hallie could form explosive blue energy and Iris was like...a Rosetta Stone. "Um... keep reading, then." I said.

"There once was a castle of the sea,

a city upon the Sea of Rhun.

The stone was washed a snowy white,

and the towers were turquoise blue."

She paused. "Looks like we're headed to the Sea of Rhun."

"Is there anything else there, lassie?" Gimli asked, clearly interested. Hallie moved her hand and the light over the rest of the paper, but no other words appeared.

Well...that didn't tell us a lot...but at least the instructions were clear and straightforward this time. It still didn't tell us what to do once we got to the Sea of Rhun, but we'd probably figure it out once we got there. Hopefully.

So here we are, getting ready for another day of walking. Although...I have to admit...Iris makes it all better. Iris makes everything better, honestly. Her happy smile and shining eyes just brighten my day. We haven't really made the whole thing official (I never really "asked her out"), but I think almost dying and confessing our love was probably good enough.

Not everyone was as happy as me though. Aragorn, to be specific. He had barely spoken that morning, and although that was pretty normal, the look on his face was not. He seemed...sad, and I had no idea why. We pretty much walked in silence, mindful of his mood. He was obviously thinking about something and wouldn't want to be disturbed.

Hallie noticed as well, and she kept glancing at him worriedly as we walked. Lunch was a tense affair...we kind of all sat in little groups and talked quietly. Iris and I were separated from the rest of the group so we could talk in private.

"What do you think our parents will say when they find out about us?" Iris wondered.

"Well, my dad obviously won't care," I said. My dad was...not the greatest of fathers. We had a tense relationship. "My mom would probably be ecstatic. And my brother will tell us that he knew we would get together from the moment he met you."

Iris giggled. "Did he really think that?"

"Well, no, but you know Parker. He'll pretend he's all psychic and say he predicted it."

Iris put down her bowl and put her head on my shoulder. "I like your family, Eddy."

Well, that's good, I wanted to say. Because you might be a part of it someday. But I couldn't say that. It really was too early to tell. I would love to spend the rest of my life with Iris, but you never knew what could happen, really.

Before I could think of a reply, though, Hallie and Liz walked over. For once, they didn't roll their eyes at the sight of our closeness.

"Hey," Hallie started. "We found out why Aragorn's looking so down today."

Iris raised her head. "Really? What is it?"

"Today's his and Arwen's anniversary. They've been married for 6 years," Hallie answered.

"Wow," Iris breathed. "That's sad...he can't spend today with his wife."

"Yeah," Liz said forlornly.

"I wish there was something we could do," Iris said.

"I don't think there is," Hallie said. We all nodded in agreement.

"Well," I started. "The best thing to do is to finish this quest...so that Aragorn can go home and celebrate."

Everyone nodded. And then all this craziness will be over...and we can go home.

**Iris - June 27th - River Anduin**

We've been walking towards the Sea of Rhun for five days now. Actually, technically we're going to Mirkwood. So we're traveling north, because if we go there, we have to go visit Thranduil, Legolas' dad. Because he could probably help us...if he feels like it, that is.

Anyways. Nothing had tried to kill us yet- which is always nice- but consequently, the trip was pretty boring. Hallie and Liz were talking with Legolas, Haldir, Gimli, and Aragorn, which left me and Eddy alone a lot. Liz and Hallie were expertly and discreetly grilling the famous trio about their adventures during the War of the Ring, and I'm pretty sure that Liz could have floated away like a balloon if she'd been any happier.

It was the first time in a long time that I felt we could just enjoy being in Middle Earth. The first time since we'd stepped off that boat that I was just filled with amazement. We were walking right next to Aragorn, Legolas, and Gimli! I wondered what the fangirls at home would say to that. I'm pretty sure that a lot of them would just faint. I suddenly wished that my phone was still working (I think we'd all run out of battery on the ship and just left them on the boat...) so I could take a picture of our little fellowship. I wished I'd had a camera to capture our moments in Rivendell.

This must have been how Tolkien felt, I mused. I wondered if he'd ever been able to see this world, or if it merely appeared to him in a dream. There were rumors circulating that he and his friend C.S. Lewis (the guy who wrote Narnia) were writing about something that they'd actually experienced. Could it be possible that Tolkien had wandered on the path we now traveled?

"Hey, Iris!"

I looked up to see Hallie grinning back at me.

"Do you remember what happened on that ranch a couple of years back? I was trying to explain how we'd first been entered in an equestrian competition, but I can't remember."

"We were taking horseback riding classes when Liz' horse freaked out, leaped the fence, and ran off. My horse went after hers and you and Eddy hopped the fence to come get us..." I started. That had really been some day. And I never thought I'd be able to get the smell of horse out of my hair.

"Oh yeah! Then you guys got thrown from your horses in a patch of poison ivy! Eddy whipped out some miracle lassoing skills and grabbed your horses before they ran off." She turned back to Legolas and Aragorn, who seemed very interested in the story, and told them how the ranch owners had decided to enter us in an equestrian competition because they thought we had "raw talent".

Turns out, we won a couple of trophies and kept entering into the competitions until we had at least a year's worth of college tuition money in cash each from the prizes. Then we respectfully bowed out and had kept our "rodeo star days" (as Hallie likes to call them) secret... at least until now.

Haldir fell back a bit and started talking to Eddy about our world and the Sight and arrows (boring boy talk), so I was content just to think. I thought about the Sea of Rhun and the riddle on the map. I thought about the burnt supplies mystery of Moria and our adventures since we'd arrived here. But I thought a lot about home.

When we first got here, the only thing I thought about was getting home. Seeing my family again and telling them how stupid I'd been for running off onto some magical boat. But now that we'd been here for close to two months, home was starting to seem like a distant memory. When I lay out underneath the stars here, I feel so alive. So happy. Like I have everything I need.

Over the past two months, I had fallen in love with Middle Earth. We all had. When I looked at the others, I could see it in the way they walked, like we owned this ground. I could see it in the way they took in the scenery around them and I could see it in the way they smiled when they woke up each morning and realized that this really wasn't a dream. Part of me couldn't imagine ever leaving this place, and yet another part of me just wanted to get home.

Home. Where no one was chasing us, where we didn't have to fight for the fate of our world. Where we were just ordinary people... I stopped. We weren't just ordinary people anymore. Middle Earth had changed us. We'd hadn't been the same people since we stepped on that boat.

Maybe fate had decreed we come here, or maybe it was an act of God. Whatever it was, I was really glad that we were here. I looked over at Eddy, who was still talking to Haldir about arrows and smiled. I really couldn't believe that he and I were finally together. But how long was this going to last? Was our relationship going to crumble at the first sign of trouble, like our friendship almost did? Could we make it through Middle Earth?

"Eddy?"

"Hm?"

"Do you think this will last? I mean...we're only in high school. Anything could change."

Eddy hesitated.

"Well," he said, "I guess we don't know if it's going to last. But if we keep focusing on the future so much, we won't be here in the present... and then it won't last, I guess. I'd really like it to last and I think we have the potential to..." He paused again. "...to stay together for a really long time. Sure, we're only sixteen, but I don't think that gives us any less shot than a pair of twenty-five year-olds."

I sighed and slipped my hand into his. "I hope so..."

We kind of sat there in comfortable silence then. But inside, my thoughts whirled. I thought back to Aragorn and Arwen. They were so happy together. They would give up their lives for one another. Arwen pretty much gave up the Grey Havens so that she could stay in the messed-up world with her beloved.

Would I ever be able to find someone like that? I'd always wanted true love. I mean, what girl didn't? I looked at Eddy. Was he the one for me?

He looked back at me, almost as if sensing my insecurities. I'm sure he could have burst into this long, heart-wrenching speech about the beauty and glory of love, but instead, he just kissed me.

That kiss was all I needed.

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**Well... very fluffy. But we had to write a chapter like this (much to our chagrin). So they're headed to the Sea of Rhun, eh? That's pretty awesome. Where oh where will they stop next? Here's a hint: it's FABULOUS!**

**Stay tuned, my loyal followers! And refer new people to our story! **


	27. SparklyPrincess47 and the Scandal

**Ah... Mirkwood. A favorite of mine to write. Thanks to horseyyay and TheFlyingHobbit for reviewing! It's always nice to get reviews, isn't it? Enjoy!**

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**Hallie - July 2nd - Mirkwood (The home of Legolas' dad and his magical elk)**

I'd never seen Mirkwood, you know. We had all seen the movies, so we at least knew what to expect when it came to Rivendell and Moria. But they don't show Mirkwood until the Hobbit Part 2, and that comes out in December (SUCH A LONG TIME I CAN'T WAIT THAT LONG).

I have to say, it is a beautiful place. The trees are tall and shadow the forest floor so we don't have to walk through the heat of the midday sun.

Haldir looked completely awed. He kept looking this way and that, tripping over his feet and making me run into him occasionally when he stumbled or stopped to look at something particularly interesting.

Of course... they could use a little work on the welcoming committee. No music, no dancing, not even a beverage offered. I've gotta say...dwarves are so much better, at least in this department. We were just walking through the forest one minute, and the next, a bunch of elves dropped out of the trees, training their arrows on us. Liz let out a slight squeak and Iris' eyes almost bulged out of her head as an arrow was pressed right up against her nose.

We'd all been wearing hoods to conceal our appearance (you never know who might be watching). Legolas and Aragorn lifted their hoods, and I saw the tension in the elves' shoulders relax, ever so slightly.

One of the elves, a tall, thin, and blonde one (I guess I just described the entirety of Mirkwood, and I don't know his name, so I'll call him Greg) spoke to Legolas in Sindarian.

I leaned over to Iris and whispered, "What are they saying?"

"I think [Greg] is welcoming Legolas back to the forest and asking him who we are." Hm, fair question. I half expected him to be asking if he could shoot at us for target practice. I can just imagine it: Oh, Legolas, welcome back, are these people for our target practice? Shooting backwards at birds in the dark while doing a backflip just isn't doing it for us anymore.

Greg didn't look too happy about us being there. I guess if it's one thing Mirkwood elves don't like, it's people they don't know. Especially dwarves. I suddenly felt bad for Gimli.

"Now Legolas is explaining that we're friends, travelers from a distant land who are gifted with talents and a quest from Lord Elrond." Another of the elves glared at Iris, our cue to shut up.

Suddenly Greg turned to us. "I bid thee welcome." He didn't sound welcoming at all. Like I said, they need some help in the welcoming department. "I will take you to King Thranduil."

Great. I'd seen King Thranduil in the Hobbit, and he did not seem like a nice guy. But as long as we'd be meeting ancient elvish kings, I supposed that I probably didn't want to insult him.

Greg lead us through the forest on incredibly light feet. The city of Mirkwood was even more impressive than the forest. Beautiful wooden structures wrapped around and through the trees. It was the best treehouse ever.

We started up the steps. Greg and his entourage didn't talk as we walked up into the trees. I leaned over to talk to Liz.

"Hey, where do you think Greg's leading us?" I asked, keeping my voice at a whisper so as not to disturb Greg.

Liz raised an eyebrow. "Who's Greg?" she returned.

"The lead elf who was talking to Legolas. I didn't know his name, so I made one up for him."

Liz rolled her eyes."Why Greg?"

"I don't know. It just seemed... normal. Would you rather I had chosen SparklyPrincess47?"

Liz laughed. "Yes. It would have been so much funnier."

"Anyway," I said, "Where do you think Greg- I mean SparklyPrincess47- is leading us?"

"Wow...that's a mouthful...and weren't you listening? He's taking us to see Legolas' oh-so-charming dad."

"Well... you never know with these people...elves," I responded.

So here I am, walking through the trees of Mirkwood, making fun of elves. I never would have thought this would happen to me. I mean, people make fun of elves all the time in our world, but making fun of them when they're right there is much more satisfying. And fun.

We arrived at Thranduil's absolutely "fantabulous" throne room and found the King of Mirkwood himself sitting upon his throne, staring at us in that really creepy way that can only be managed by the elf before us.

Greg- or SparklyPrincess47- spoke to the elf-king in Sindarian again and we all turned to Iris, who quietly translated.

"[Greg]'s telling him that Legolas and his dwarf-friend are back. They brought with them the King of Gondor, an elf of Rivendell, and four little children from a foreign place. The children are on a quest for Lord Elrond."

"Oh? Is that so?" Thranduil said (Iris still translating).

He then turned to us. "Welcome." Then he looked over at Aragorn, Legolas, Gimli, and Haldir. "Would you leave us for a moment? I would like to talk to the younglings."

Younglings? Okay, I may not be 2,000 years old, but I felt like we deserved a little more respect. Aragorn and Haldir nodded, Gimli sighed and muttered something under his breath, and Legolas led them all out of the throne room. We were left with Thranduil and Greg (I definitely preferred Greg over SparklyPrincess47), who both stared at us for a couple of moments.

"Who are you?" The question came from Thranduil.

Everyone looked at me. It was so synchronized. Sighing, I stepped forward a little. "We're travelers from a distant land. We are on a quest given by Lord Elrond and Gandalf- or Mithrandir- and are heading to the Sea of Rhun."

Thranduil took this all in. "My son mentioned that you have certain... talents. Would you care to elaborate on those?"

I hesitated. For some reason, I didn't want Thranduil to know what we could do. The relationship between elves, men, and dwarves was just too complicated. I didn't want to tip the balance or anything. "We are all extremely quick learners," I said quickly, "I have some skill with the sword, and my friends have skills with the bow, daggers, and healing." I motioned to each of my friends in turn. I didn't know why I was lying to Thranduil, but I couldn't stop now. Besides...it wasn't a complete lie.

He pointed at Iris. "That one," he said (could you be any ruder?), "seems to be able to understand our language."

Iris turned as white as a sheet. "Lucky guesses," I responded before Iris could say anything, "she is very good at reading facial expressions... it's a valued trait in our land." I couldn't very well say we were from a different world either. That would surely mess with his mind. We already had enough crazy elves to deal with.

Thranduil glared at me. I knew he could tell something was up. Not wanting to give anything away, I simply stared right back at him. After a few moments, he gave up. "You may go," he said, sighing.

We quickly grabbed our things and headed for the nearest exit. As soon as we were a good distance away and there were no elves in sight, Eddy pulled me over behind a tree. Iris and Liz followed.

"Why did you lie to Thranduil?" he hissed, trying not to make a scene. He knew as well as I that if we were caught, we would make an enemy of Thranduil.

"I don't think it's wise to run around Middle Earth telling people about our powers all willy-nilly." I whispered, defending my actions, "Something told me not to tell him anything."

"We're not traveling alone, you know! Aragorn, Legolas, and Haldir could all tell Thranduil!" None of us were very worried about Gimli. I doubted he and Thranduil were very chummy. And I knew that Gimli wouldn't tell him anything anyways.

"We'll just tell them to not say anything to Thranduil."

Everyone finally agreed to my plan. We'd each go talk to one of the other members of the Fellowship. I'd tackle Aragorn, Eddy would work on Haldir, and Liz and Iris would go to Gimli. Not to difficult. We decided to talk to Legolas as a group, because he was going to be the hardest to convince.

Mirkwood is a big place, okay? So it's not my fault we got lost. After about a half hour of wandering aimlessly through the woods, we decided to ask an elf for directions. Unfortunately, the elf we ran into happened to be Greg. And he didn't look happy to see us (not that he ever really looked happy, but I suppose he has an emotionally scarring backstory or something).

And so the next chapter of Greg's emotionally scarring life shall be entitled: Those Pesky Children. He led us back to our group (thankfully, since I was half-convinced he was going to lead us off a cliff). We thanked him and he moved on with the next part of his miserable life.

I immediately went over to where Aragorn was sitting on a branch, reading a book. Where he got it, I have no clue.

"Aragorn," I began, and he looked up. I suddenly didn't know what to say. Admitting to my mentor that I just lied to his best friend's dad- who is the king of the place in which we are currently staying- is tough, to say the least.

"Yes?" he prompted.

"Thranduil asked about our 'talents'. And... I told him we were just quick learners."

Aragorn sat up a little straighter, looking at me in surprise and admiration.

"Something told me that it wasn't wise to be running around Middle Earth, telling people about our talents. So... I was wondering... that if Thranduil talks to you..."

"That I'd cover for you," he finished.

"Yes," I said, feeling quite sheepish.

"Of course," he said. I almost fell over from shock.

"R-Really?" I was completely surprised.

He looked up at me. "Yes. Your secrets are yours to keep. I have no right to spread them." He glanced around, and then leaned closer to me. "Just between you and me, I'm impressed that you had the guts to stand up to Thranduil."

I smiled. I could have just hugged him, and I almost did. Okay, scratch that. I may be a Warrior, but I am still a sixteen year-old girl. I hugged Aragorn. Tackled him, more like.

"Thank you, thank you, thank you!" I let go and raced off into the woods, eager to tell my friends. I was pretty sure I could hear him chuckling behind me.

When we re-grouped, I found that Gimli was completely willing to cooperate and had said something along the lines of, "I never liked that elf anyway." Haldir would do anything for Eddy. Now came the challenge of Legolas.

We walked up to him while he was polishing his bow. I knew that he had a room- a home- in Mirkwood, so it was sweet that he was staying down here with us. Iris walked a little closer than the rest of us, and tentatively said, "Legolas?"

He turned around, almost surprised to see all five (Haldir tagged along) of us there. "Yes?" he said, his eyes wary.

"We need your help," Iris said sweetly. "Thranduil asked us about our talents, and we decided to tell him that we were very quick learners. We'd appreciate it if you didn't say anything more to him concerning our 'powers'."

Legolas was silent for a second, looking slightly uncomfortable. "How dare you lie to my father," he hissed, "when he has been nothing but kind to you! He let you into his realm, gave you food and let you sleep here! Not to mention, he allowed me to take troops to come to your aid in that battle so long ago!"

We were all silent, shocked. I moved forward. "Legolas, our secrets are ours to protect. We can share them with whom we choose, and you have no right to disclose those secrets to complete strangers, no matter how kind they are."

Legolas whirled on me. "I will not lie to my father!"

I was about ready to punch him. He had no business telling our secrets to anyone, not even his nosy, idiotic father.

Liz edged closer to me. "Do you want me to accidentally-on-purpose slap him again?"

"Please, go right ahead." I was kind of joking...I didn't think she would actually do it, nor did I think it would work.

So, to my surprise, Liz walked right up and slapped him across the cheek, leaving a faint red hand print on the elf-prince's pretty face. Poor Liz... fangirls will be out for her blood everywhere.

"You have no right to disclose our secrets, just as we have no right to disclose yours!" She paused, shaking a finger at him. "Or do you want me to share with everyone what it was you happened to be doing when I was walking over to talk to Gimli?"

Legolas' face grew red enough to hide Liz' handprint. I raised my eyebrows at Liz. What exactly had she seen?

Legolas glared at Liz, and then sighed, giving up. "Fine," he said, "I won't say anything about your talents."

I smiled. It was a hard-won victory, but a victory nonetheless.

**July 4th - Still in Mirkwood (much to my and Gimli's chagrin)**

Thranduil had talked to Aragorn, Haldir, and Gimli, who all said about the same thing we told him: we were just quick learners. Thranduil didn't seem very happy with these responses. Long story short, I was pretty sure that he and I weren't going to be getting together for afternoon tea anytime soon.

Legolas convinced his father to let us stay in Mirkwood for a couple more days to regain our strength.

What did we do with our time in Mirkwood? Well, we didn't train very much, as we were constantly under the watchful eye of Thranduil and Greg. So we decided to look at the map a little more, so that we'd know exactly what we'd be facing when we arrived at the Sea of Rhun.

Ducking into a hole in one of the trees, I pulled out the map and lit my hand. Liz, Gimli, Iris, and Haldir crowded around me, trying to get a glimpse of the words. We'd decided to split up into two groups so that we didn't look suspicious. Iris and I were members of both groups, though, because it was only our combined powers that could allow us to unlock the map.

"If there is a full moon,

and the water catches its light

The castle, it shall appear

to make the past right," Iris read, shocked.

"That doesn't sound like the same poem we read back at Moria," Liz stated.

"Well, what do you think it means?" Gimli asked.

"I think there's a castle on the Sea of Rhun," I said, "and it only appears on a full moon." I paused. "Huh... that's funny. It rhymes."

Haldir looked quite nervous. "But I've been studying maps of that region since we got here, and there isn't a castle on any of the maps."

Liz thought for a moment. "Maybe it's got something to do with 'making the past right'."

I sighed. Thank you, Gandalf, for all of the mysteries and riddles. "Maybe. In the meantime, let's head back to camp. We've got to show the new riddle to Aragorn, Eddy, and Legolas."

No one had ever heard of a castle on the Sea of Rhun before. Great. And as if my day could get any better, someone mentioned that we were probably going to have to ask Thranduil for a boat to get to the Sea, because the fastest route there would be by water.

Of course, everyone looked at me.

"Why do I have to ask him?" I whined. I didn't want to spend any more time with that weirdo than I had to.

"Because," replied Iris, who, with the aid of Liz and Gimli, was practically pushing me up the steps, "You're the one who had the guts to stand up to him earlier, remember? So go and get 'em."

With those words of encouragement, I was shoved into Thranduil's throne room.

He and Greg stared at me for a long moment, both obviously annoyed by my presence. "What do you want?" Greg asked.

"Well, I was told by my friend Legolas that we were in need of a boat. We're heading to the Sea of Rhun, and he said the fastest way there was to sail." I was playing up my friendship with Legolas at this point because I figured that if Thranduil was going to do anything for anyone, it would be for Legolas.

Thranduil's eyes sparkled- momentarily. It was really creepy. But apparently I'd hit a chord by talking about Legolas' navigation abilities, or something. "Of course you may take a boat," he said, smiling, "In fact, you should take the fastest one in my fleet."

I thanked him and bolted. When I arrived back at camp, Iris walked up to me, looking expectant. "So... how'd it go?"

"Something is really wrong with Thranduil."

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**A/N from Liz (Legolas' secret- be it true or made up, only Legoliz will ever know...): Legolas headed to the black market. Elves tended to buy and sell hair products here. However, the only elves who came to this particular market were the ones with frizzy, curly, or otherwise uncontrollable hair. Liz happened to stumble across this strange place. She was shocked to see so many elves with... beauty issues. Suddenly, she saw a familiar figure. It was Legolas. Why was he here? And then there was a sudden gust of wind, and Legolas' hood was blown off his head, revealing his hair...which was completely frizzed and messy. He must have stolen Aragorn's Special Edition Dunedain-On-The-Go shampoo again. Quite the scandal in Middle Earth.**

**Love? Not love? I don't care which, review for Greg and his terribly scarring backstory!**


	28. A City on the Sea of Rhun

**Well, this is a long chapter! Thanks to TheFlyingHobbit and horseyyay for reviewing- you guys are the best. I think we're up around 50 reviews now? That's pretty awesome, people! Enjoy the Sea of Rhun!**

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**Liz - July 12th - River Carnen (Almost to the Sea of Rhun...I am so nervous...)**

_We've been sailing since the 4th. Not much has gone on lately...after we left the creepy court of Thranduil, our days have been filled with spending time on the boat, watching Eddy get seasick (he's finally recovered), wanting to gag from the amount of Edwiris Oogies we all get (even Aragorn and Legolas are starting to get some- and they're pretty impervious to oogies, as far as I can tell), and training for...whatever is waiting for us when we get to the Sea of Rhun._

_It's pretty terrifying...and to top it off, I have a feeling that Raordell is not far behind. We haven't been attacked or anything, which should be a good thing, but it makes me nervous. If Raordell's not trying to stop us...then what if...he actually wants us to go there? We could be playing right into his hands and we'd never know it._

_I haven't been able to sleep. The nightmares keep coming. I'm not looking too well, but I use my shadewalking (my own unique form of makeup) to hide that fact. I don't want my friends to worry. They already have too much on their minds._

_Everyone's been training as much as they can. Aragorn and Hallie spar until they're both tired and sore. Our resident archers shoot pillows and other things until they're completely destroyed, practicing shooting at different angles and everything. Iris somehow practices her spells without blowing up the entire ship._

_And me...well...I'm still scared of shadewalking. Scared of the shadows, if you will. I really don't know anything about shadewalking. The only one who knows anything is the bad guy._

_I don't want to be a dead weight, dragging my friends down when they really need me. Like I always do. I'm always the one who messes everything up with my impulsive decisions. But right now...there's not much I can do to improve my skills. I'm not even sure I really want to._

_I wish I weren't a shadewalker._

**July 13th - Smooth sailing (for now)**

I had managed to fall asleep last night, thanks to some herbs from Iris. I wasn't completely refreshed when I woke up, but it was a start. I hadn't even had any nightmares, at least, none that I could remember. I hoped that was a good omen.

I stood at the railing of the ship and looked out. In the distance, I could see the river start to get larger as it fed into the Sea. We were almost there.

When I went back below-deck, I could hear the clang of swords and the thumping of arrows hitting targets. Everyone was training again. I should train too, I mused. My shadewalking might get useful, and I can't afford to mess up.

Suddenly I got an idea. I remembered that Iris mentioned once that she had somehow found a book on shadewalking but I forgot to actually get it from her. I quickly went off in search of Iris. She was in her room, softly reading something in her book of spells as something started glowing in her palm. I just stood in the doorway, not wanting to startle her and break her concentration, in case whatever she was working on happened to be explosive.

"Oh hey Liz," she greeted when she noticed me, letting her light fizzle out.

"Hey," I said. "What was that spell for?"

"I found this invisibility spell, and I wanted to try it out. If I master it, it might be helpful."

"That's cool. Why does it have light though?"

"That's what's going wrong, I guess. I don't really know what's supposed to happen. I'm kind of just experimenting."

"I'm sure you'll figure it out soon," I said with a smile.

She smiled back. "Thanks. I hope so. Anyways, did you need something?"

"Um, yeah, I was just wondering if I could borrow that book that you have, you know, the one on shadewalking."

She blinked in mild surprise. "Oh, yeah, you can keep it. After all, you're the shadewalker, not me." She uncrossed her legs and hopped off the bed, going to her satchel and taking the book out. It wasn't a particularly big book. The Capabilities of Shadewalkers was pocket-sized, really. I hoped that it actually had things in there that I didn't know before.

"Thanks," I said, taking the book. I started to go out the door.

"Um," Iris started, making me stop. "If you want...I can help you."

I didn't turn to look at her. I just stared at the little book with its red leather cover and black writing. Blood and darkness. Honestly, I was torn. A part of me wanted Iris' help...I was still quite scared myself and I want the support of my friends. But another part of me knew that she couldn't help, that I was alone in my journey, and there was no one there to help me. "I'll be fine," I finally said. "Thanks though."

I gave her a little smile and left.

I went back to my room and flipped through the little book. It was like a journal, with handwritten pages instead of printed words. There wasn't a lot written in. Everything that was there were things that I already knew. I should have expected that. I guess that if people had just heartlessly killed shadewalkers, they didn't really care about their history or the fine details of their power.

Did Raordell lie to me about that too? That was part of how he manipulated me. He gave me this sob story about genocide and I just ate it all up. But had he been telling the truth?

Gosh...I was such and idiot. It let my feelings get in the way of everything...and because of that, my relationship with my friends would never be the same, and I felt more and more distant from them.

**Eddy - July 15th - The Sea of Rhun**

The Sea of Rhun is peaceful. Not really what I expected of the place where we had to (supposedly) save Middle Earth. It seemed more like a place where people would take their families for vacation and enjoy the outdoors.

Haldir and I stood on the deck of the ship, sight turned on, turning around slowly so we could take a look around to see if there was anything out of the ordinary.

Nothing. There was nothing at all. Not even birds. And when I took a closer look at the water...there were no fish. No life.

There was something very wrong with the place. Sure, on the surface, it looked like a really nice place. But if you took the time to take in details, you start to notice that it was too silent. There was no birdsong, no ripples, not even the quiet splash of waves on the shore.

So I take back what I said. The Sea of Rhun is not peaceful. It's downright creepy.

Eventually everyone came up on deck too. "The castle will not appear until nightfall," Aragorn said. "Thankfully, tonight will be a full moon. I suggest we all get some rest before then."

We all nodded in agreement. I dutifully went down to my room, but I still had a lot going on in my mind. The map had been unexpectedly straightforward. Sure, we didn't even know there was a castle in the Sea of Rhun, but the map also told us that it only appeared at night so that made sense. None of the other clues had been so easy to decipher. Why was that? Maybe I was overthinking things, but it seemed suspicious to me...

Somehow...I managed to sleep. When I was shaken awake by Iris, the sun was just beginning to set.

"It's time," she said, with a worried expression on her face. I was pretty worried too. We were going to find out why exactly we were brought to Middle Earth...and I wasn't sure if I would like the answer.

Trying to lighten the mood, I said, "Did Legolas have to wake up Liz again?"

Iris laughed, remembering what had happened last time. "No, Hallie got the honor this time."

We laughed together. It was nice...it pushed away the apprehension and worry. For just a moment, it was like nothing had ever happened. We were just some high school kids who were teasing their friend about something. But as soon as we set foot on deck, the mood was ruined.

First of all...the sunset was really lame. It couldn't even be called a sunset. There wasn't a multitude of colors, it was like the sky faded from blue to shades of grey. And when I looked up, there were no clouds. The sky was just...grey.

Aragorn scanned the horizon, hand on the hilt of his sword. Hallie stood in a similar position, but she was looking further up, at the moon, which was slowly rising. Beside her, Liz was shivered slightly, even though there was no breeze. Haldir fidgeted nervously, Legolas had a concentrated expression on his face, and Gimili looked extremely unnerved, and I knew it wasn't because of the slight rocking of the ship.

"Should we steer closer to the island?" Hallie asked Aragorn softly.

Aragorn considered this for a moment before saying, "I believe that would be unwise. We don't know what is waiting for us on the island, and this is the best location. It's close enough to the shore and the mouth of the river that if we get attacked, we could make an easy escape."

That made sense. The castle might be invisible, and that meant that it was also possible that there were hidden monsters as well. And they were probably aquatic, but likely confined to the Sea, because as far as I knew, there weren't much records of sea creatures in Middle Earth, except for fish.

We all sat there in tense silence, waiting for the sky to turn dark. Iris gripped my hand tightly. The moon was just now reaching its apex. The water, so eerily still, was almost like a mirror, reflecting a perfect image of the moon. I heard a sound like a gunshot, and then I could see the tips of something rising up out of the water about a mile away from the island. The castle.

The stone on the castle was a snowy white- probably some sort of polished marble. The roofs were turquoise, and the trim around the windows and doors looked as if it was made of solid gold. The whole castle seemed to glow in the moonlight, and I noticed that the flags flapping in an unfelt breeze were purple, and covered in a golden design that looked like a compass.

We all kind of stood there in shock for a minute, taking in the sight. And then the cry of a bird split the air. A magnificent bird landed on the railing, right in front of Haldir, startling him. It was a hawk, but colored like a phoenix and long tail and crown feathers. Its beady eyes scanned our group, lingering first on Hallie, then Liz, then me, and finally Iris.

"There's something on its back," Aragorn said, and we noticed it as well. There was a little tube strapped onto the bird's back.

"A message?" Hallie suggested.

Aragorn moved to open the tube to see what was inside, but the bird reared back with a screech, talons leaving a long scratch on Aragorn's face. Aragorn backed away. The bird flew back and calmly sat on the railing like nothing had just happened. Legolas tried, but the same thing occurred, although Legolas was able to narrowly avoid getting his face injured. We all stood there, wondering what we should do. This bird obviously had a message for us, but nobody could get close to it.

Suddenly Hallie started slowly walking towards the bird. I was about to tell her to stop, but then I noticed that the bird had its eyes completely fixed on hers. It was like a staring contest. Hallie got closer and closer, and to everyone's surprise...she was able to open the tube and take out a rolled up parchment. With another ear-piercing shriek, it flew away, leaving only a couple of bright orange-red feathers.

"How did you do that?" Liz wondered with amazement.

"I'm not completely sure...but the bird...well, it looked at me and I just felt that it would be okay to move towards it," Hallie said.

"Well, let's see what the message is," Aragorn said. Iris moved to heal his face, but he brushed her off, saying that he was fine and she shouldn't waste her strength on such a mild injury.

Hallie unrolled the paper and read, "Dear Travelers. Of the company, only the one who is strong enough to face evil alone may pass. When the person succeeds, the journey continues. Should the person fail, the world is forever doomed. Make haste, for a full moon does not last for a lifetime. Yours, Gandalf the White."

**Iris - July 15th - Sea of Rhun**

"Gandalf again?" Eddy groaned. "How does the guy do it? How did the bird even have the note for so long?"

"Gandalf's a wizard," Liz said, as if that explained everything.

"What do you think the note means?" I asked.

"Well," Hallie looked thoughtful. "It seems pretty straightforward. One of us has to go across to face whatever is in the castle. If that person succeeds, then the rest of you get to go across and we all find out what we need to do next. But if that person fails...well, let's not think about failure."

"Well first of all," Eddy said. "How does that person get across?"

"The note doesn't say," Hallie mused. "But maybe there's a hidden clue?"

"It's probably some sort of signal," Legolas said.

"Right," Hallie agreed. "But what kind?"

"Well, I have a theory," Liz piped up. "It might sound a little...silly, but...Gandalf was really into fireworks."

We all looked at each other. "That's perfect!" Hallie said. Then she turned to me. "Iris, do you think you could make some sort of firework-type thing?"

"I could try," I said, a little nervously. I closed my eyes and concentrated. I felt a ball of light form in my hands. Remembering the right words, I threw the ball into the sky (don't ask me how it works, it's complicated) and softly said, "Bragollach en' templa."

The result was perfect. "Great job," Eddy grinned at me, making me feel tingly inside. "Remind me to call you over on July fourth."

"Now we just have to see if that was the right signal," Haldir said. We waited, and sure enough, a small boat came into view, floating towards us until it hit our ship and stopped. Well...that was a stroke of luck.

We all looked at each other. This was it. "Well," I started slowly. "Who's going to go?"

"I assume the evil mentioned is some sort of beast," Aragorn said. "I believe I would be the best candidate." We all nodded.

"No." Hallie's voice surprised us all. "It makes more sense if I go."

"What?" seven voices shouted all at once.

Her blue eyes looked back at us boldly, challenging. "It makes more sense. I'm as good a swordfighter as Aragorn. Plus, I'm invulnerable, and I have a little bit of magic at my disposal."

Hallie had a point...but she couldn't go fight...whatever was there! She could die! Being invulnerable doesn't mean you can't die. If Hallie died, I don't know what I would do. But how could I tell her that? I'm not particularly good with words. I struggled to get my thoughts together and figure out how to say what I needed to say.

I was about to protest, but Aragorn beat me to it. "I won't allow you to do that."

"Aragorn, even you can't deny that it makes more sense for me to go," Hallie said.

"I'm a seasoned warrior. I'm good enough that I can avoid serious injury."

"But we don't know what we're up against. It could be a dragon, for goodness sakes!"

"Exactly my point. I wouldn't be a good mentor if I allowed you to go. You're only an apprentice."

Hallie stood up, looking at each and every one of us in the eye. Then she settled on Aragorn. "Listen. You're the king of Gondor. You have an entire country to rule, for Pete's sake! Not to mention a wife who's waiting to celebrate her anniversary with you! I have less to lose, Aragorn, so I'd make the better choice."

We all stared in shock. Less to lose? What did she mean by that? Hallie was smart, and she had obviously thought this through. I wasn't completely sure what I felt about her declaration.

"Don't you dare say that!" Liz exploded. "Don't act like nobody will care if you die. Less to lose? That's stupid! Everyone would be devastated."

Hallie calmly looked Liz in the eye. "I have you guys, sure. But it's not like I'm royalty or a main character in some story! I know you'd be devastated, but you could move on. You always would." She paused, looking at each of us in turn. "I have to protect you. All of you. You have to let me do this."

A silent message seemed to pass between them. Then Liz set her lips in a hard line and stood up. "You'd better come back. I'd never forgive you if you lost." Then she left without a word. To the others, it may have seemed sort of mean, but I could see her body shaking, and I knew that was Liz's way of showing she cared.

Hallie sighed. "Now that that's settled, I'm going." How could she sound so confident and brave? If I were sent, I would be trembling and nervous. Hallie looked like she was just going for a walk.

She made sure Elyon was strapped securely to her waist. She tightened her cloak.

"Good luck, apprentice," Aragorn said, putting his hand on her shoulder.

"Best of luck," Legolas said. Gimli grunted something next to him. I got the feeling that he was a little choked up, but didn't want to show it.

Haldir said, "I haven't known you for long, but I've seen your skills and I believe that you can succeed." Hallie smiled and gave him a smile. And then Halir opened his palm and revealed a pendant with, ironically, a pair of crossed swords carved on the face. "And, ah, my mother gave me this pendant before we set out for our journey. It's a...protection charm. I'd like you to have it...to remember that we'll all be with you in spirit...and you aren't really alone."

His words brought tears to my eyes. Awkward Haldir knew just what to say. And then it was my turn. I just hugged Hallie, hoping that my gesture would say everything she needed to know. Eddy stood next to me and he and Hallie also had one of those silent exchanges. Our circle was like that...we knew each other so well that we could communicate without words.

Hallie stood by the railing, ready to slide down into the little boat. She looked at our group and smiled in a way that only Hallie could. "Aw, come on. Don't give me those mopey faces. This isn't goodbye. I'll be back."

And then she was gone. We all watched the boat sail off, until we could no longer wave and the fog swallowed up our friend. With nothing left to do, we settled on the deck to wait. I sat next to Eddy, gripping his hand for comfort and support.

Somehow, I managed to drift off, but I was woken up with something that made my blood run cold.

A terrifying roar shook the night.

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**My comrade and I were feeling evil, if you can't tell, and left y'all on a cliffhanger! But so you don't panic, we'll be back Thursday. Stay tuned! And review, for the sake of Hallie, who faces an unknown and roaring threat.**


	29. A Giant Fire-Breathing Buster

**Hey! Another wonderful chapter! Thanks to horseyyay and TheFlyingHobbit for reviewing!**

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**Hallie - July 16th (just after midnight) - The Castle**

I was a little more nervous than I let on.

I sailed towards the Castle with great speed. Luckily for me, the boat appeared to move on its own, so I didn't have to embarrass myself by trying to paddle out there. Soon the Castle loomed over me.

The boat steered itself into a small, half-moon shaped dock that stretched into the water like a beach. I climbed out of the boat and gasped at the sight of what lay before me. Fruit trees and flowers were growing out of sunken pots in the marble. In between them stretched a path made of jewels. It looked like a mosaic.

Stunned, I followed the path to a gate. The gate was circularly shaped, like the doors in a hobbit hole, and seemed to be made of a single, giant pearl. The gate opened, and I continued to follow the jeweled path through the empty city to another pearly gate, which opened to reveal what seemed to be the main courtyard.

It was shaped like the full moon. Trees and beautiful flowers lined the sides of the courtyard, but the center was bare. I noticed that there was a large balcony directly opposite me. If this had been a kingdom, that is where I would imagine the king and queen would address the court. But this kingdom looked like it had been abandoned for a long time.

In the center of the courtyard was a pedestal. It was a simple cylinder, rising about 4 feet out of the ground, and it was covered in silver, so it shone like the moon. In the center of the pedestal was a small hole. It looked to be the perfect size for... the stone we'd found in Moria.

On the ground surrounding the pedestal, etched into the stone, was a compass. At the tips of each of the four cardinal points, our symbols were also carved. My swords. Eddy's eagle. Iris' flower. And triangular swirly pattern that was Liz' symbol.

I walked over and stood on my symbol, the crossed swords, and waited. I didn't know what I was waiting for, but I had a feeling that it wasn't exactly something to look forward to. I touched the necklace Haldir had given me, which curiously bore my symbol too. He'd said it was for protection. So maybe I wasn't the only one to ever use this symbol?

I waited for what seemed like hours, but in reality, was only a few minutes. Maybe the monster had died?

That's when I saw it. The thing walked out of the shadows, strolling into the courtyard like it owned it. Which, for now, I supposed it did. It was reptilian, a massive thing, probably five times my height, and covered in grey-green scales. It had beady eyes and twelve horns growing out of its head that almost seemed to form a crown. Thankfully, the monster didn't have wings, so I couldn't have called it a dragon.

I slid Elyon out of its sheath, thankful to have the comfortable sword in my hand. The monster walked closer to me, obviously thinking that I was just an easy kill. "Not today, Buster," I said, glaring at him. In that moment I decided to call him Buster. Giving him such a ridiculous name seemed to somehow gave me a burst of courage.

Buster let out a roar that shook the castle and darted towards me. I leaped out of the way, thinking that he was just going to slam into the wall behind me, but he turned at the last second, sending a massive tail my way that shot me across the courtyard like a cannon.

I landed with a thud on the hard marble some thirty yards away. That hurt. Leaping to my feet, I stuck my sword straight out in front of me and ran towards Buster, hoping to spear him like a kabob (figuratively speaking, of course- he was a little too big to become a kabob). To my surprise, Buster let out another roar, this time accompanied by flame.

I leapt out of the way at the last second, saving myself from being burned to a crisp. Okay, so obviously the frontal attack wasn't going to work. Let's try something else.

I darted underneath him. It was common knowledge that the weakest spot on any creature is their belly. I jammed my sword into his stomach and Buster let out another fierce roar, obviously in pain. Then he moved his head towards the ground, trying to get at look at whatever was stabbing him. I gulped, drawing my sword out and running for my life. Buster let loose, scorching the area underneath him. I was lucky to escape with a few minor burns on my legs, but curiously, I didn't feel any pain.

Maybe it was the adrenaline.

So obviously his armor could be penetrated by my sword, a fact for which I was grateful. I ran back around, trying to stab him in the leg. But his wonderful tail slapped me up against one of the Castle walls, knocking the breath out of me. I staggered to my feet and sprinted back towards him, thankful for my invulnerability and my stubbornness. If I'd let Aragorn go, I knew he'd be seriously injured, maybe even dead, by now. I couldn't let that happen to him. To any of them.

Suddenly I realized that the fate of Middle Earth was in my hands. That was a big responsibility. Dodging Buster's tail, I sliced at his leg, causing him to roar. I darted underneath him again, hoping to get another jab at his stomach, seeing as the first stab wound was still dripping blood. But he was smarter this time, raising up on his hind legs. If I didn't move, I'd be smashed.

It went on like this for hours. I'd slice him, he'd bash me up against a wall or try to torch me with his fire-breath. I managed to stab his underbelly twice more, but other than that, most of his injuries weren't drawing much blood. I, however, was burnt in more than one place and, if I hadn't been invulnerable, would be covered in one big bruise.

I was running away from Buster's fire breath when I noticed light on the horizon. The sun was rising. Had I really been fighting for six hours?

The castle gave a jolt, and we started to slide downwards into the ocean. Of course. The castle only came out at night. Part of me panicked that I would drown, that I wouldn't be able to breathe, but another part of me somehow knew that I would be able to survive.

The fighting went on beneath the sea for several more hours. Buster didn't seem to be tiring, but I was. Just because I couldn't get hurt didn't mean I could fight for twelve hours straight.

I turned around and went back to my useless attempts to hurt Buster. I wasn't going to get anywhere. I needed a new strategy. Sprinting out of the way of Buster's fire breath, I darted behind the pedestal, crouching down and giving myself a few crucial seconds to try to revise my strategy.

But Buster found me before I could even begin to gather my thoughts. He dragged me out from behind the pedestal, raking his claws across my chest and pinning me to the marble. Buster stared me in the eye and I saw the heat and fire beginning to gather in his throat. How could I have been so stupid and careless? Never take your eyes off your enemy, Aragorn had said. Now I was going to die for it.

I raised my hands up, Elyon still in my left, and closed my eyes as the fire began to pour out of Buster's mouth. But I didn't feel anything. Was this was death felt like? Curious, I opened my eyes to see Buster breathing fire all across me... but a shield of blue energy standing between him and me. I'd almost forgotten about my little blue ball of light, and was startled to realize that the blue energy was coming out of me. My little blue ball of light had grown up.

I rolled out of the way, still alive, and ran around to flank the monster. Buster seemed to be as surprised as I did. He looked at me, ready to give me another bolt of fire-breath, but I beat him to it.

I didn't have to think. Raising my right hand, I let loose my anger and frustration. My worries, fears, everything, poured out of me with the bolt of blue energy. It shot across the courtyard faster than a bullet and exploded, leaving long burn scars and deep gashes across Buster's side. He let out a roar of pain that shook the castle to its core.

I grinned. I had finally gained control of my powers. And, for the first time in twelve hours, I was winning. I darted around to his other side, trying to stay out of the way of his mouth. Blasting him with another bolt of energy, I was happy to see more gashes and scars appearing on his side, all gushing blood. Suddenly I noticed that I was feeling faint. I had to be the toll of magic- Iris had told me that spells draw on the caster's energy. Obviously I didn't have a lot of that left.

I had one more shot left in me. As Buster turned on me, I didn't move. I stared him down, daring him to give me everything he had. He reared up and opened his mouth, ready to shoot me with a blast of fire.

I sent the rest of my energy flying across the courtyard. It flew straight down his throat, burning him up from the inside, gruesome in a way I won't describe. The great monster crashed to a heap in the castle's marble courtyard, his charred carcass smoking. Buster was finally dead.

I'd managed to save my friends. My mission was done. Grateful, I fell to the ground, giving in to the sweet calls of unconsciousness.

**Liz - July 16th - Sea of Darkness**

I got nothing. I'm so mentally exhausted from worrying about everything that's going on. Raordell, Hallie, Eddy and Iris, and, of course, the fate of Middle Earth (like I could forget that little important bit of information?).

I tried to fall asleep, but I couldn't, as usual. Even if there hadn't been nightmares, the stress would have kept me awake anyways. So instead, I practiced throwing daggers at a target with a face drawn on it. I pretend it's Raordell's face, because it makes practicing a lot more satisfying.

Iris came into the training room at dawn, and literally force-fed me breakfast. I really wanted to refuse, because I felt like I couldn't really eat anything, but Iris is really scary when she's worried to the point of insanity.

Aragorn eventually docked the ship, because he figured that there was no point to stay floating in the middle of the sea.

Later in the afternoon, Haldir and Legolas went out to scout. I kind of wished that I could have gone with them, because I was getting really antsy just waiting around. I hated the feeling of not being able to do anything. Who came up with the dumb rule that only one person could "face the evil" at the castle? I wanted to go with Hallie, but magical rules wouldn't let me. Ugh!

I took out my frustration on "Raordell". It worked. Sort of.

Just before lunch, Eddy suddenly freaked out, because he had managed to see through the forest (apparently there's a barrier blocking his sight, so his eyesight was a little damaged), and he found out that Haldir and Legolas were hurt. Badly.

"I'll go with you," Eddy said, when Iris said that she was going to go find them. "You need protection, and I know where they are." Iris nodded in agreement.

"I'm going as well," Aragorn said. "It's too dangerous to stay in the forest. You may have to carry the two of them back, depending on how injured they are. You can't possibly carry them by yourselves. And Gimli, you may as well come with us too."

"What about me?" I asked.

"You can stay here and keep watch," Aragorn told me. "We can't leave the ship unattended. We will try to be back as soon as we can."

"But what about Raordell?" Eddy asked worriedly. "What if he attacks you?"

"I'll be fine," I said. "Besides, it makes the most sense for you four to go and for me to stay."

Great. I was still going to be stuck on this ship. What fun...but I guess it did make sense. Iris was the healer, Eddy was the "GPS", and Aragorn and Gimli needed to help transport the injured. And then there was me. I guess I could have worse jobs than guard duty.

I was left to guard The Stone (yes, I'm capitalizing it). Iris had been keeping it up until now, but Aragorn said that it was too important to take into the forest. We didn't even know what the stone did, but we knew it was probably important.

"Well," I sighed, shifting the stone around in my hand once the others left. "Guess it's just me and you now." The stone just shone back at me. I had never gotten the chance to examine it very closely. Its shiny blue glow reminded me of the blue sky in Colorado, although the shade of blue was much more vibrant.

I just kind of sat there on the deck, staring at the blue stone, thinking about nothing in particular. I stared at the spot where the castle had sunken below the water. I wondered how low the castle was submerged, and if I swam down, if I would be able to see it.

Probably not, I concluded. It was probably hidden by magic, or too deep to be able to swim to.

And then a hand closed over my mouth, and a dagger was pressed to my throat. "Well, well, Elizabeth, this was easier than I expected. We meet again." Suddenly, jumping into the ocean seemed like a great idea.

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**Cliffhangers, cliffhangers. Well, be prepared for more of them next week! And most likely the week after that but don't kill us please!**


	30. IT'S A TRAP

**Mwahahaha! As the Compass draws to a close, y'all will notice that we are going to have more and more cliffhangers. :D Thanks, as always, to our faithful reviewers horseyyay and TheFlyingHobbit. Tell your friends about us! And enjoy this chapter!**

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**Eddy - July 16th - The Beautiful Briny Sea (HA. It's mocking me.)**

No one had anything to do, what with us waiting around to see if Hallie was alive and all. Finally, Legolas got fed up with all the waiting (apparently elves aren't as patient as they let on) and grabbed Haldir, saying he was going to scout the terrain, and possibly hunt. We didn't even know if there were any animals around, but I guess it just gave Legolas something to do. Personally, I hoped he'd bring back some deer or rabbit. I was getting tired of salads, lembas, and seabirds.

It was noon, and Haldir and Legolas had not returned yet, but Aragorn said that they should be back soon. There hadn't really been a time limit, but once they started getting hungry, they would probably journey back.

To distract herself, Iris went down to the kitchen to prepare lunch. I half-watched her while making some new arrows.

But by the time lunch was ready, Haldir and Legolas still weren't back. That could either be a good thing, because they had found them and knocked out Raordell, meaning that they would have to drag him all the way back...or it could be a very very bad thing.

Quickly, I used my sight. Nothing. I was so frustrated. The dang trees wouldn't let my sight penetrate through. I zoomed in as far as I could, and concentrated. Even though it made my eyes hurt, I could start to see through the first row of trees.

And then I saw them. A very bloody Haldir and a knocked-out Legolas. I collapsed on the deck after I turned off my sight, in a state of exhaustion and panic.

"Eddy!" Iris cried out, rushing to my side, with Aragorn and Gimli closely behind.

"I found Haldir and Legolas," I managed to gasp out. "They're hurt!"

I was starting to see spots. I had overused my sight. I closed my eyes, and Iris, seeing what was going on, did something that brought a cooling relief to my eyes.

Once I felt my eyes were relatively healed, I sat up impatiently. "We have to find them!"

We quickly decided that Aragorn, Gimli, Eddy, and I would go help our injured comrades. Liz stayed at the ship to keep watch. I didn't like leaving her there alone, but she assured me that she could take care of herself. Besides, we needed Aragorn and Gimli because Eddy and I couldn't carry Legolas and Haldir on our own.

It didn't take us long to find Haldir and Legolas. Iris immediately rushed to Haldir's side, because he was injured the most. Aragorn went to Legolas' side, who didn't seem to be injured at all except for getting knocked out. I could tell Iris was really stressed because she didn't even make any comments about Legolas and his lack of injuries. He didn't even have any blood, except for this one little cut on his head.

Haldir let out a groan. His head was cut up in a couple of different places and was gushing blood. He also had a deep gash across his chest. "Trap," he started to say.

"We know," Iris soothed, starting to heal him. "Just relax. You're going to be fine."

"No," Haldir protested. "It's...a...trap."

All of us instantly went on high alert. Aragorn drew his sword, and Gimli his axe. I quickly notched an arrow. Iris kind of stood in a protective stance by our injured friends. Nothing happened.

"No," Haldir wheezed. "Raordell...Liz...ship."

We all looked at each other. Liz was alone on the ship...and against a fellow shadewalker, I didn't know if she would be hold him off. We had to get back to the ship, fast!

Aragorn hoisted a still-unconscious Legolas on his shoulders and after Iris half-healed Haldir's wounds, Gimli and I carried Haldir. We tried to be as gentle as we could, but we were in a hurry, and Haldir wasn't light. He fell unconscious again.

But when we finally reached the ship, no one was there. Raordell was gone...and he had taken Liz with him.

**Iris - July 16th - The Diary of a Pessimist (despite Aragorn's constant attempts to cheer us up)**

Middle Earth is doomed. Raordell took the stone. And Liz. When we'd found the stone, we knew it was more than just a trinket. Gandalf wouldn't have helped us to find it if it wasn't crucial to complete the quest. So while we were out, we'd left Liz guarding the ship... and the stone. But now they were both gone.

I had healed Haldir and Legolas as best I could, but apparently shadow-inflicted injuries were harder to heal. I had to resort to regular bandages and herbs. Still, they regained consciousness and were able to tell us what had happened.

While they had been searching, Raordell somehow snuck up on them. Even though sight wasn't impaired within the forest, Haldir said that somehow Raordell had hidden from his sight, even though he could usually see through shadows. Raordell had knocked Legolas out instantly. Haldir tried to fight back, but he had been no match for the shadewalker.

"I want to know what he wants with the stone," Aragorn said.

"I tried to research the stone before," I said. "but I didn't find anything that explained the stone's significance."

"But if Raordell wants it, it probably has some twisted purpose for him," Eddy said.

"It most likely has to do with the castle," Legolas commented.

"I believe that theory is correct," Aragorn said. "If Raordell managed to outsmart us so quickly, and he didn't want us to go to the castle, he would have tried to stop us before." He looked completely frustrated. It wasn't often he was outsmarted.

"So he wants us to go to the castle?" I asked.

"Right," Aragorn confirmed.

Eddy groaned. "So we just played right into his hands?"

"It seems so, yes," Aragorn answered. "But allow me to remind you that Gandalf also sent us here. He knew that Raordell was involved."

Great. Thank you, Gandalf. Couldn't you have just told us to get rid of this guy before? Now he was causing us all sorts of trouble. If I ever see that wizard, I'm going to give him a piece of my mind... and possibly a fireball to the head. That makes me feel a lot better. Sure...there was hope...but I still didn't know if I would be able to save Middle Earth.

By now, it was the middle of the afternoon. I'd spent as much time as I could helping Haldir, but something about this place was wearing on my powers. So I left him to rest and went up to talk to Eddy.

"I'm torn," I said with a sigh, walking up to where Eddy was scouting the forest with his sight.

"Over what?" he replied, never taking his eyes off the forest.

"I want to go search for Liz, but I also want to wait for Hallie," I said, "See if she's even alive."

"Yeah," he muttered, still absorbed in his sight.

I grabbed him and turned him towards me, watching his eyes turn from the black of his unusually dilated pupils to his normal blue. "Eddy," I whispered, exasperated, "Did you hear a thing I just said?"

"Yes, and I agree with you. But I think that Hallie's taken care of herself. I'm more worried about Liz right now. Why does Raordell even want her?"

"We should go search for her." I surprised myself.

Eddy looked at me in surprise. "Aragorn wouldn't ever let us go."

"So we sneak away. And leave a note so they don't get too freaked out."

I felt devious just talking about my plan, but to my surprise, I loved being rebellious. Eddy readily agreed to my proposal and we crafted a note that we left in my bedroom:

Aragorn, Haldir, Legolas, and Gimli-

Eddy and I have gone to search for Liz. Raordell's up to something, and if we don't stop him in time, it might lead to the end of life on Middle Earth as we know it. It's our only chance, and we have to take it. Please don't be too worried.

Sincerely, Iris and Eddy

When the note was done and Aragorn was treating Haldir and Legolas (who had suffered a concussion) in his bedroom and Gimli was doing something in the kitchen, we climbed up to the top of the deck. Grinning at each other, we leapt off the boat and ran out into the forest.

Watch out, Raordell. We're coming for you.

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**Boom. Raordell is seriously going to have to watch out, right? He's got a mad Iris and Eddy after him now... and you don't want to see Edwiris mad. Review, please!**


	31. Mr Chivalry or Lack Thereof

**Well, well, well. We are back... and nearing the end of this story, I might add. It all culminates to the giant finale! MWAHAHAHA! So, I have to remind you of a couple of things: a) all cannon characters and settings, etc., etc. belong to Tolkien; b) this is part of a trilogy; and c) be on the lookout for more stories involving our favorite OCs very soon! Thanks to horseyyay, TheFlyingHobbit, and Andrew407 for reviewing/favoriting/following. **

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**Hallie - July 16th (near sundown) - My Victory Lap cut short by monsters...**

When I woke up, Buster's charred carcass was gone. It was almost as if he'd never been there at all, and if it hadn't been for the burn marks on my arms and legs, I would have thought the fight never happened at all.

I sat up slowly, sore from the burns and the constant smashing against the ice-white walls of the castle. I don't care what people tell you, but invulnerable or not, it does hurt when you slam your head into solid marble repeatedly.

I instantly chastised myself for falling unconscious. It could be midnight by now! I got up and ran through the gates, out of the main courtyard, and towards the dock. And what I saw almost knocked me off my feet.

Giant sea creatures surrounded the castle, swimming to and fro through the frigid water. Little crabs scuttled across the sea floor, grabbing small fish and bits of seaweed as they went along. I felt like I was watching the bottom of the ocean through an aquarium window, but I knew if I stepped off the dock that I'd be fish food in an instant.

So obviously it was still daytime. Guess I would have to wait until nighttime. Well, I knew the castle was the key to saving Middle Earth. And what did we know about it? Nothing. Nada. Zilch. So I decided to explore, see if there was anything at all that I could learn about the castle.

I followed the jeweled paths through the abandoned stone city (this place is way bigger than it looks), ducking into different buildings occasionally to check things out. Almost every room I saw was decorated lavishly, covered in tapestries and and beautiful paintings. One tapestry in particular caught my eye. On it was a small map of a blue orb covered in green land. Earth. Connected to it was another map, one I recognized from Liz' books to be Middle Earth. Connected to Middle Earth was another map I didn't recognize. Almost twenty similar maps were connected to each other in the tapestry. What did it mean? That our world was more connected to Middle Earth than we thought?

Suddenly I felt the ground move between my feet. I remembered the feeling- it was the same shaking that had sent the castle to the bottom of the ocean this morning. Wow. Was it really only this morning? It felt like a lifetime ago.

I sprinted out of the room and towards the dock. I was finally going back to the ship! As the castle shed the last of the ocean, I discovered that the sun had only just set. At least I didn't have to come back after midnight. I leapt into the small white boat and set out for land, skipping across the water at such an alarming speed that I fell over in the boat.

I came up on Thranduil's ship, grinning from ear to ear. But I didn't see any faces smiling back at me, and my smile started to fade, replaced by worry and suspicion. Where was everyone?

As I sailed closer, I was able to hear sounds of fighting. Swords clashed, arrows were fired, and monsters (or maybe it was Aragorn, you can't really ever tell) were screaming. I gripped Elyon tightly, drawing my sore and tired muscles into a fighting stance. My boat bumped up against the shore, and I leaped out, yelling like a madman.

"Don't you idiots touch my friends!" I slammed my sword into a large goblin, decapitating him. I felt like a battering ram, running my swords through monsters left and right until I came up on Aragorn, who was staring at me, full of surprise.

"What?" I screamed over the sounds of battle. "Are ye of so little faith?"

He smiled and shook himself from his stupor, decapitating an orc next to him. Gimli was slapping a battalion of orcs in the face with his axe, shouting, "21, 22, 23!"

Legolas was up on the boat, firing arrows into the enemy. I wasn't sure how many he'd killed, but I was definitely cheering for Gimli. I looked around to find Haldir, and there he was, shooting the orcs and goblins. I frowned. Haldir was covered in blood, and he looked like he was going to pass out.

Aragorn started screaming and fired himself into the warriors, killing what looked like several of their leaders. The rest, obviously not the most courageous of warriors, ran off.

I hoped they weren't going to come back.

"Hallie!" Haldir shouted, excited. He wobbled over to me, in obvious pain.

"Haldir! I did it! I beat Buster!"

"Buster?" Haldir replied, confused.

"The monster," I explained. I looked around, hoping to see Eddy, Liz, and Iris. "Where is everyone?"

Gimli looked down at his feet. Legolas rubbed his head absentmindedly. "Guys?" I said again.

"Liz was taken by Raordell," Aragorn replied, "He also took the stone. Iris and Eddy went after them, against my wishes."

"What the heck! What are they thinking? They could be killed!" I shouted, exasperated. Couldn't we catch a break? I sat down on the ground with a short sigh.

I was aware of a hand on my shoulder. I looked up to see Aragorn. "We're going to find them," he said, trying to assure me. Then he noticed the burn marks on my arms. "You're hurt."

"Yeah," I said, half-smiling, "Buster had really bad breath."

Suddenly I heard a loud cry and looked around Aragorn to see the orcs and goblins coming back. I tried to get up, but Aragorn held me back. "You're hurt- you don't need to be fighting." He looked over at Haldir. "Neither do you."

"Oh, get out of my way, Mr. Chivalry."

I shoved Aragorn out of the way and stepped in front of him and Gimli, who was coming up behind us with his axe raised.

I was getting really tired of fighting. I'd fought with Buster for twelve hours, and I didn't want to spend another couple of hours fighting idiot monsters when I could be out searching for my friends. I was fed up with bad guys attacking us. Not again. I felt my anger pooling in my hands and transforming into power. I lifted my hand towards the enemy, smiling.

"Back off," I said. The lead orc glared at me, obviously underestimating me. My smile grew. I sent an orb of blue energy towards the enemy. The ball floated to a stop in front of the lead orc, who stared at it with a mixture of surprise, confusion, and amusement.

Then the ball exploded, incinerating orcs and goblins in every direction for a hundred feet. The ragtag army was almost gone when the smoke cleared. I sent a second orb to chase what was left of the now retreating orc army. Seconds later, they too were gone.

Drained of energy, I sank back to the ground. Everyone was staring at me with wide eyes.

"I certainly don't ever want to get on your bad side," said Haldir.

I laughed. "I finally got a hold of my combat magic when I was fighting Buster. It was the only reason I won."

Gimli shook his head. "Could this day get any stranger?"

I looked at each of them in turn, my expression demanding explanation. "Tell me exactly what happened."

**Liz - July 16th (late afternoon) - Someone kill me now**

Ugh...I'm stuck with Raordell. Again. And I can't even resist, because Raordell did something to my head that puts me in a lot of pain, making it impossible to use my powers.

When Raordell had grabbed me back on the ship, I had tried to get out of his grip, but his shadows had instantly bound me. I tried to reciprocate with my own shadows, but then Raordell did his little trick (don't ask me how he did it) and I couldn't control them anymore.

I got the message and stopped struggling, and then he tied me up with rope. It turns out that Raordell had purposely injured Haldir and Legolas, because he figured that with Hallie gone, I would be the only one left on the ship when the others went to help the injured. He had logically figured out everything. I couldn't believe that we had been so stupid.

First of all, I should have been paying more attention. If I had been more alert, I would have probably heard Raordell coming and been able to stop him. I wanted to slap myself. I was such an idiot!

Raordell won't tell me what he wants with me. After he captured me, he carried me into the other side of the forest, opposite from where my friends were. Then he plopped me unceremoniously in front of a tree, and sat down in front of another tree, nonchalantly whittling something with his dagger. I figured that he was hiding us with his shadows, because staying out in the open was pretty stupid, and unfortunately, Raordell was anything but stupid.

We sat in silence. On one hand, I wanted to talk to him, because I wanted to know more about being a shadewalker, and I also wanted to know what he wanted with me and the stone. I had a lot of questions, but I doubted Raordell thought of me as his apprentice anymore.

And then it hit me. We were obviously waiting for night...because that's when the castle came out. Raordell had taken the stone and placed it in his pocket. I still didn't know what it did, but I had a feeling I was going to find out once nightfall came. And I had a feeling that I wasn't going to like it.

Suddenly the silence was broken by some voices. Raordell looked up, and gave a creepy little smile. "Why, it must be my birthday. People keep walking right into my hands!"

To my horror...it was Eddy and Iris. I was about to scream to them to run, but Raordell expected this, and instantly repressed me with a shadow. He pretty much "stuffed" a shadow into my mouth to keep me from talking. Yeah. Not pleasant. At the corner of my eye, I saw the shadow shield flicker. Hm...obviously, Raordell wasn't strong enough to keep me silent and keep up the shadow shield at the same time.

It didn't really matter at the moment, because Raordell released the shield, but I kept it in mind. "Hello Edward, Iris," he said like he was simply saying hello.

"Raordell!" Eddy hissed in surprise and instantly drew three arrows at once. Iris flicked her fingers and a flame flickered to life at her fingertips. Wow...they had gotten good.

"Tsk, honestly, do you think you could defeat me with your little arrows? And Iris, honey, you're not even powerful enough to work with fire. Why don't you work with something...easier?"

The two of them glared at him. "Don't call me honey," Iris spat out. "Let Liz go or I promise you're going to see just how good I am with fire."

Raordell simply smirked. "Ooh, I'm so scared. You're making threats, eh? I guess you do have remarkable spirit after all. I do regret letting go of you. You're so beautiful and I had so much fun with you." At this Eddy growled. "Unfortunately, I can't let Elizabeth go. If you want her, you're going to have to get through me first."

All at once, Eddy released his arrows and Iris let out a stream of fire. Nothing made contact with Raordell. He had made a shield around himself, and instantly reciprocated with his shadows. I noticed the shadow in my mouth getting slightly less chewy (if you could call it that). Strange. Could it be that Raordell wasn't powerful enough to keep up multiple things at once? But even so, Eddy was pinned to the tree and Iris was knocked off her feet.

I sent a wave of sharp shadow daggers straight at Raordell. Forget the pain, I needed to help my friends! Nothing made contact, I was still too weak, and there was still that fear in my mind - fear of myself, fear of shadewalking. However, it was still enough to distract Raordell and allow Eddy and Iris a chance to get up. I felt the gag at my mouth loosen as well, and I choked out, "Run! Don't worry about me! Just run!"

But they didn't get a chance. Raordell grabbed them in a shadow choke hold. I tried to stop him, but he gave me a fierce glare. "Try to defy me again, Elizabeth, and I'll kill your friends."

I sank to the ground. Tears ran down my eyes and I looked at my friends, thinking, _I'm so sorry. This is all my fault. I'm so very sorry._

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**DUN DUN DUN! Raordell is a serious piece of work, my friends! (My comrade and I have a love-hate relationship with him.) So, for the sake of Buster, the guardian of the Castle, Greg, the Mirkwood elf with an emotionally scarring backstory, and most of all, Liz, who may or may not die, please review!**


	32. Unbreakable Bonds

**I apologize for the late update. School has been crazy.**

**We are so close to the end of this story. **_**So close.**_** I'm excited. :) Anyways, thanks to horseyyay and theFlyingHobbit for reviewing! **

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**Eddy - June 16th (dusk) - Raordell's Diabolical Plan**

So...maybe Iris and I hadn't exactly been thinking things through when we decided to face Raordell on our own. Because now we're captured too. With lots of bruises to boot.

How were we supposed to defeat this guy? He seemed pretty powerful to me. But everyone has a weakness. We just have to figure out Raordell's. Liz had completely conked out. Evidently Raordell had done something that had completely drained her battery because she was out like a light.

The sun had began to set, and soon enough...the castle came into view again. Iris and I held our breath. If we saw Hallie...then there would still be hope. _Please, please, please,_ I prayed.

Nothing. We couldn't see any sign of Hallie.

"No," Iris breathed, aghast.

Raordell gave a sinister laugh. "Hallie was a noble warrior, but she could never defeat the beast without getting killed herself. I knew that she would succeed, but she would die in the process. Only one sword has ever defeated such a monster, but it is simply a myth."

I refused to believe it. Hallie was our friend. There was no way she was dead. "Which sword was that?" I asked.

"A remarkable sword. A sword out of legend really, and I wish I could have seen it in action." He took out his dagger and flipped it through the air. I wished that he wasn't so skilled and the blade would cut his hand. It was such a fancy dagger - a black handle inlaid with purple gemstones - I couldn't really imagine him using it in battle. "Its name is Elyon," Raordell said.

Whaaaat? We all looked at each other. Hallie _did_ have Elyon. Was Raordell just stupid? Or had he someone been… tricked? How would that have worked? Did this mean she _was_ alive? And what about the rest of our weapons? They were Raordell's as well? Ugh… I had gotten really attached to my bow….

"Did you give me my bow too?" I suddenly blurted out.

Raordell looked annoyed. "I don't know what Iris sees in you. You're so daft. Of course I gave it to you. It was a fine bow, and now I can use it." He picked up my bow, and examined it. I kind of wanted to tear it out of his grasp. But then his face changed. "How can this be? Where did you get this?" He thrust the bow in my face, so close I could see the tiny details that were engraved on the wood.

"Your ship..."

"I don't understand," Raordell said.

"What don't you understand?" I asked.

"Enough questions! It's nothing," Raordell said, but I could tell that something was up. "And now… the end begins," he continued.

Well, that didn't sound very good. It sounded quite apocalyptic. The end of Middle Earth. Why did this guy want to destroy Middle Earth anyways? What did he have against this place?

"Don't worry," Iris whispered. "The others will bring help."

Raordell gave a very, creepy laugh. "Not so fast...your friends aren't going to be helping anyone anytime soon."

In the distance, we heard the stomping of feet and snarling of monsters. _Oh no..._

There was still hope. I tried to stay optimistic. Aragorn, Legolas, and Gimli were good fighters. Another part of me thought I was stupid. Legolas and Haldir were still injured, and not even Aragorn and Gimli could hold off so many monsters on their own.

Raordell used his shadows to drag us along with him. When we reached the water of the lake, he didn't even need a boat, because he was able to cross the water with his shadows. We were going to the castle.

The castle was even more magnificent on the inside. The dock where we arrived sloped downward into the ocean, like a beach. We followed a jeweled path to a circular gate that looked as if it were made out of a single pearl. Despite everything that was going on, we all gasped. The architecture was so majestic.

Raordell seemed to know his way around. When we stopped, we were in a courtyard, with a silver pedestal in the center. On the floor was...a compass. With our symbols. What did that mean?

Iris and I were tied up to the stone columns at the far right of the courtyard. Liz was forcefully dragged to the center pedestal. She struggled, but Raordell slapped her.

"Liz!" Iris cried out.

"Silence!" Raordell said. "You are about to witness one of the most brilliant shows of power anyone has ever seen. All of Middle Earth will be awed, and its inhabitants will bow down in submission."

"Why are you doing this?" Liz asked. "Why are you talking about Middle Earth and shows of power? What are you trying to take over?"

"Because I'm tired of being persecuted for what I am! People should appreciate my power! Shadewalkers should be worshipped and feared, not hunted and hated."

"Shadewalkers are vile," Liz spat out. "The dark power shouldn't even exist!"

Raordell slapped her again, and blood trickled out from the corner of her mouth. "There will always be evil in the world. You should embrace your powers, Elizabeth! Think of the things you could do!"

"No! I don't want to be evil! I don't want to be a shadewalker!"

Raordell looked at her regretfully, with a hint of anger. "I had hope you would be on my side. But now I'm afraid I'll have to force you to see the light."

This guy was messed up. "What do you want with her?" I yelled.

"You see, Edward, I need her for one purpose. I need her to die for me."

**Iris - July 16th (sometime after sundown) - It All Comes Down to This**

"What?" we all shouted. I struggled with the ropes. I really wanted to claw this guy's face out. Liz was going to die? Agh! I needed to do something!

"Yala onna en' naur," I muttered. "Yala onna en' naur!" And my ropes started to burn.

"Oh no you don't, my dear." Raordell said.

My ropes came off, and I ran towards Raordell, forming a fireball in my hand, ready to throw it straight at his head. Say goodbye to my quiet self - I was mad. I hit what seemed like a solid wall and fell on my back. Raordell had made a forcefield. It was a barrier of rippling black energy, forming a dome over the center of the courtyard.

And then Raordell reached into his pocket and brought out the stone. The forcefield was barely transparent, but I could still see the glow. He placed the stone in what appeared to be a hole in the silver pedestal. The stone clicked into place and there was a sudden flash of light.

I could only watch, helpless, as Raordell grabbed Liz's hand and placed it on top of the stone. Power started to flow out of her, turning the stone from a clear sky blue to a darker blue, almost black. Inky black stuff started to turn the pure white stones surrounding the pedestal to black. The darkness spread until it reached under the forcefield, past my feet, and started to climb up the walls of the castle. From there, it spread into the sky, creating a thunderstorm above us that shook the foundation of the castle. I only hoped that Aragorn and the others could see it and would come to our aid.

But could they? Were they even alive? We'd lost Hallie already... we couldn't lose them as well. Especially not when Middle Earth needed them.

"Iris!" Eddy cried out. "Get me out of here!"

Oh right... I hurriedly burned off a little section of his rope so I could untie it. We tried to see through the dark force field Raordell had put up. Liz was crying out in pain. Tears were streaming down her face, and it made me cry too, because I didn't know what she was feeling, but I knew was that my friend was alone and there was nothing I could do.

"No!" she screamed. "I won't give you any more of me! I- I won't!"

She was resisting. She was using all her will to resist the flow of power. But I could see the strain on her face. The darkness was slowly starting to consume her too, inky black stuff starting to crawl up her arm.

I don't know how much time passed. "Iris! Eddy!" Suddenly, I heard a cry from behind me. I turned around to see Hallie rushing in with Aragorn, Legolas, Gimli, and a limping Haldir, who was in obvious pain.

She was alive. Hallie had survived. Of course she had. I shouldn't have ever doubted her. At that moment, I felt like there was still hope.

"What's happening?" she asked, looking at the darkness in horror.

Words just spilled out. I didn't even know what I was saying, but I was too hysterical to care. "Raordell's killing Liz because he wants to conquer Middle Earth and we can't get through because of this force field and she's going to die, and Hallie you have to help her!"

Hallie looked at me. "I don't know if there's anything I can do." A single tear fell down her face.

I kind of lost it then. I looked through the field in looked at Liz's tearstained face. "I'm so sorry," I whispered. I watched her battle, on her own, and I cried out to her, wanting to comfort her, support her. "You can do it Liz!" I yelled. "You're not alone!"

And then we made eye contact. And Liz's message was very clear. I've known Liz almost my entire life, and in that moment, nothing else mattered because our friendship was strong, stronger than Raordell, and nothing could defeat that.

She raised the hand that wasn't stuck to the stone, and held up one finger. _One..._

"Eddy!" I shouted. "I'm going to break through the field!" He understood too. "Hallie, you need to help me." The four of us had that connection. We had all been brought together, and I felt like I could _feel_ the bonds that connected us. Unbreakable bonds.

Liz held up two fingers. _Two..._

I started my spell. Eddy borrowed Haldir's bow. I grabbed Hallie's hand, because the spell I needed was powerful, and I couldn't do it alone. I didn't need to do it alone.

Three fingers. "'Kshonnarim, wanya!" I shouted. My ball of energy shot out and hit the force field. The was a boom, and the shield dissipated. I didn't know what Liz did, but somehow she had distracted Raordell, breaking his concentration just enough that the shield got weaker.

"Now Eddy!"

Eddy's arrow flew, straight and true, aimed at Raordell's chest.

It missed.

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**Please don't murder us in our sleep. Reviewing is better. :) So please, do leave us a review. **


	33. The Last Great Battle

**Hello, my dear friends. I know you have all been waiting for this climax, this amazing end, and so I shall give it to you with only a few thank yous first: thank you to TheFlyingHobbit and JustRandomPerson for reviewing this week. I didn't see one from horseyyay, but I'll thank you anyway because you've been with us from the beginning. Without further adieu, here it is.**

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**Liz - July 17th (just after midnight) - Is This the End?**

When I touched the stone, the pain started immediately. Darkness clouded my vision and I felt like I was being destroyed from the inside.

I fought it with ever fiber of my being. I didn't exactly know what was happening, or what my shadows were doing, but I knew it had something to do with power and destruction.

Thunder crashed above and lightning split the sky. Raordell was making me conquer Middle Earth through the stone, which was drawing from my power into the fabric of Middle Earth. I could feel the ground beneath my feet tearing apart. Darkness was filling my vision. I didn't know what Raordell wanted to do with this world, but whatever it was, it was not going to be recognizable as Middle Earth soon.

The thought brought tears to my eyes. This world, loved and cherished by so many, could simply cease to exist. I couldn't imagine a world without Lord of the Rings. I discovered this world a couple of years ago, and since then, so many amazing things have happened. Seriously, I became friends with Legolas. And I got to visit the Shire, and Mirkwood, and all these other places that I used to dream about.

Lord of the Rings was my escape from the real world. And I wasn't going to let Raordell take that away from me, from everyone in my world, and from everyone living in this world.

I wondered if Middle Earth and Lord of the Rings was simply going to disappear from the shelves in bookstores. I wondered if the plot would be changed. I wondered if anyone was going to know that this world was ending.

Or that I was the one causing it.

I couldn't let him do that. I wouldn't let him do that.

There had to be some way to defeat him. I remembered that Raordell couldn't do too many things at once. That was the key...if I could distract him, then perhaps the forcefield would dissipate. I would have to do it alone.

"You can do it, Liz!" Iris' words broke through my thoughts. "You're not alone!"

And everything became clear. My friends were with me. They were separated by a force field, but that's how you break down a wall. People on both sides help to bring it down. I looked at her, silently telling her what we needed to do.

Break down the force field. Defeat Raordell. These words echoed in my head. I held up a hand to signal my friends. One...

In that moment, I accepted the fact that I was a shadewalker. But that didn't mean that I was going to be evil. I could take control of my own destiny. I wasn't going to die. I was going to defeat Raordell and keep this world alive. I wasn't going to let the darkness consume me, because there were people in my life who made everything brighter and happier. I was going to do this for them.

Two... A strength filled me. With the help of my friends, I could do this. I was stronger, this couldn't bring me down. The only barrier was my mind. If I could force myself to pull away, then the stone wouldn't be able to draw on my power anymore. Come on, Liz. You can do this.

I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. Three. I pushed away from the stone. My hand released, and Raordell looked at me in fury.

"What are you doing?" He tried to force my hand back onto the stone, but somehow, I found the strength to fight. I resisted, adrenaline pumping through my system.

There was an explosion, and the field dissipated. "What?" Raordell shouted. Somehow I could hear him through the noise. "No!"

Eddy's arrow flew towards Raordell. Just as it was about to penetrate his skin, Raordell leaned back and the arrow cut past him, narrowly missing. No...

Raordell gave a sinister smile. "You missed."

Then there was a crack. Time slowed down. I turned, and saw that the blue stone had been split into four pieces, with Eddy's arrow embedded in the center.

"No!" Raordell yelled again. The stone was failing, now that the connection had been broken.

In those last moments, I called my own power back to me. It was too much to hold, but I kept drawing the darkness back, because I wanted to see the blue sky again.

Raordell lunged towards me, trying to stop me, and I put my hand on his chest. I don't know how it happened, but power exploded under my fingertips...and Raordell exploded into ash.

I lay on my back, strength draining out of me. Darkness was starting to cloud my vision again, but I knew this time it was different. I felt extremely light, like I could just float up into the air. I vaguely acknowledged the fact that my friends were running towards me, but all I could see was the blue of the sky.

And then no more.

**Hallie - July 17th - There Once was a Castle of the Sea...**

Poof! Raordell was gone. We all stood there for a second, filled with amazement. And then Liz slumped to the ground, completely drained. We started to run towards her, but suddenly there was this bright light and we all were blown off our feet.

When the light faded, I looked up to see... Gandalf? A bearded man clad in beautifully designed white robes was leaning over Liz, his hand covering her face. He muttered some strange words, and then Liz' eyes burst open and she gasped for breath. Liz sat up slowly and the man (Gandalf) back away. Iris and Eddy ran towards her, practically knocking her over again. I wasn't far behind them.

"Hallie?" Liz said, staring at me. "You're alive!" She hugged me.

"I am, but I thought that I was going to die of a heart attack with that little stunt you pulled there. Don't do that again." Liz grinned and assured me she wouldn't. "And I think there's someone here we have to meet."

Liz' eyes widened and she turned around to see Gandalf standing a few feet away. I thought she was going to burst a gasket. Eddy's mouth dropped open and he stood there, gaping like a fish. Iris' eyes bulged out of her head, and if I wasn't so tired, I probably would have screamed.

"Hello, Travelers," he said, smiling at us, "And it's nice to see you again, Aragorn, Legolas, and Gimli. I see you didn't waste much time finding yourselves another adventure. Greetings to you also, Haldir of Rivendell."

I'm pretty sure Haldir almost screamed. Or fainted. Or both.

"I do believe congratulations are in order. That was not an easy task."

"Oh, so now he shows up," Eddy muttered, but I could tell that even he was in shock because Gandalf was there.

"Eddy," Iris hissed, "Be nice! The man's a wizard!"

"I'm just saying, it would have been nice if he could have just given us a straightforward job description before he dropped us here."

"For Pete's sake, Eddy..." Iris started.

"What about the eagles?" Liz asked. We all stared at her.

"Gandalf," I started, in shock partly because I'd just said his name to him and partly because I'd almost died twice over the past day, "What do we do now? We've saved Middle Earth."

Iris spoke. "As much as I love it here, I think I speak for all of us when I say it might be nice to go home."

Gandalf smiled. I think he was amused by us. "Leave that to me."

He told us to first say our goodbyes, because once we began the process, there was no stopping it. We turned around to face Aragorn, Gimli, Legolas, and Haldir, who was bleeding heavily. I wasn't sure if he was going to make it.

I walked up to Aragorn first. Before he could say anything that would make both of us feel slightly awkward and sad, I hugged him. "Thanks," I said, stepping back, "You were a great mentor, and a great friend. Thanks for coming on this crazy adventure with us."

He smiled. "It was... interesting, to say the least. You are an amazing warrior, Hallie. Don't ever stop training."

Suddenly thinking of my sword, I unstrapped the belt from my waist and held it out to him. "I don't think they'd let me through security with that," I said. He smiled again.

I walked over to Legolas next, who'd just been telling Eddy to keep practicing his archery skills, and that someday "you might be better than me". I laughed. Eddy was a pretty darn good archer to begin with. Legolas and I exchanged pleasantries.

When I went to talk to Gimli, he'd just had a long talk with Liz about "not being afraid of the dark". I guess only Liz knew what that meant. During our conversation, I thought I saw Gimli tear up a couple of times, but I knew he'd just dismiss it as having something in his eye.

Haldir was sitting on the floor of the Castle, his breathing short and labored. "Haldir..." I began, but he held up a finger.

"Hallie, you're a great warrior. And it's not just because you're a great fighter. It's because you don't start fights, and you know the importance of peace. You have truly inspired me." He stopped. It was getting hard for him to breathe.

"I'm going to miss you, Haldir." I gathered him into a hug, careful not to hurt him. Then I remembered the necklace he'd given me, and handed it back to him. "Something to remember me by," I said, smiling and closing his hand around it. Was he going to be okay? I really wished that I could make sure he was alright, but I would just have to trust that he would be fine.

We'd finally finished our goodbyes. The four of us stood facing Gandalf, who was still smiling. "The four of you have witnessed great things. Your friendship has weathered many storms, and it has extended to include others in your time here. You have learned much in Middle Earth, but the time has come for you to return to your homeland."

I looked at Gandalf, eyes watering. Do not cry. Do not cry. "Will we be able to come back?"

"Only time will tell." His eyes sparkled.

Gandalf then directed us to stand on our particular symbols on the compass etching on the floor of the main courtyard. As Liz turned away to head towards her symbol, something on her left shoulder caught my eye.

"Liz," I said, "What's on your shoulder?"

She turned and looked at me, confused. Gandalf moved over and had Liz face away from him so he could better see whatever it was that was on her shoulder. It was like a tattoo. A swirl of black ink - her symbol.

"Ah, I see what this is," he began thoughtfully. "This is a very rare mark. Only shadewalkers who have resisted the pulls of darkness receive this mark."

"So...what does that mean?" Liz asked, looking slightly nervous.

"Darkness will never be able to consume you again. You have earned this mark. The mark of true spirit, bravery and strength."

"So even if I use my powers...I don't have to worry about going evil?"

"You never did. Only you yourself could have ever decided whether or not you would be consumed by evil."

Liz's face broke out in a smile of relief. "Well, that's good to know." She craned her neck to look at the tattoo. "But my parents are going to kill me if they see this."

"You could use your shadows to conceal it," Eddy offered.

Liz nodded and smiled at him, arriving on her symbol. Gandalf stood in the middle of the compass next to the silver pedestal, where the blue stone lie broken. He pieced the stone together and clicked it back into place carefully. Liz gasped.

"Worry not, Elizabeth," Gandalf said, "I am merely opening a portal to send you home."

He muttered a few words and the wind picked up around us, swirling around the Compass like a tornado. I locked eyes with Aragorn, Legolas, Gimli, and Haldir in turn, convinced that this was going to be the last time I saw any of them again.

Suddenly, a gunshot-like sound erupted from the stone and we all went flying backwards. Light blinded my vision.

**April 21st - New York (really?)**

The light began to fade, and my hands scraped across rough concrete as I sat up. What I saw nearly knocked me over again.

I was staring at the Statue of Liberty.

"Wow… we're really back," I whispered.

We were back exactly where we had left. The only thing that was different? There was no ship. It was like everything had been a dream. The trees on Liberty Island were still stark and bare of leaves, a sign of springtime. The grass was brown. Was it really only April 21st?

I looked around at the faces of my friends who were staring at the world around us, eyes filled with wonder. We were all wearing the clothes we'd left in, all those months ago. I smiled. I was wearing my favorite sweatshirt. I thought I wasn't ever going to see it again. We all looked older, wiser, stronger. Our bodies didn't age, but even beneath the layers of spring clothing, I could tell we were tanner and more muscular.

Iris slipped her phone out of her pocket. We had magically arrived back in our old clothes, with our old stuff and everything. Thanks, Gandalf. But now...we didn't even really have any memento of our time in Middle Earth. Couldn't Gandalf have sent us postcards or something?

Apparently our phones had magically recharged too. "Wow," Iris said. "It really is April 21st."

And then a horn blew, signaling the ferry's arrival. "Well," I said, "That's one way to skip waiting for the ferry."

We all looked at each other and burst out laughing. We must have looked pretty ridiculous, four teenagers sitting on the ground, laughing our heads off.

"I guess time passes really slowly here compared to Middle Earth," Liz stated. "Like Narnia."

The ferry blew its horn again, the last boarding call. We scrambled to grab our things and sprinted onto the ferry, finding places at the rail. I was searching around in my pocket for the fare when suddenly I felt something cold and heavy. But before I could examine it, the attendant yelled at me impatiently. Promising myself I'd look at it later, I handed the fare to the attendant.

As soon as he was out of sight, I dug the mysterious object out of my pocket. It was a coin made of blue stone- was it the stone? In its face two crossed swords were carved. My symbol. I flipped it over. On the back, the compass was etched. I smiled. It hadn't been a dream. Here was proof.

"Liz," I whispered, leaning closer to her, "Check your pockets for a coin."

She gave me a strange look, but dug through her pockets as well and sure enough, she found a similar coin with her symbol carved on the front and the compass on the back. We spread the word to Iris and Eddy, who had to untangle their hands before reaching into their pockets. They both found the coins with Eddy's eagle and Iris' flower. It seems that Gandalf had sent us souvenirs after all.

"You know what this means right?" Liz said with a smile, as the ferry began moving.

"What?"

"It means that we'll be back."

Of course. The stone had been a portal, connecting all the worlds in existence. I smiled. We hadn't needed to say goodbye after all.

The ferry pulled away from the dock, facing the open sea. For the second time that day, we were staring into the endless blue of the ocean. But instead of carrying us to Middle Earth, this time it took us home.

* * *

**GUESS WHAT! There's one more chapter- an epilogue, and then after that, it's a whole new story, baby! Let me be slightly sentimental right now, though. This is not the end of Hallie, Liz, Eddy, and Iris. **

**This is the only the beginning.**


	34. Epilogue and Important Notices

**This is it. The last melon. (Or chapter, whatever you want.) Our little epilogue!**

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**Epilogue**

The boat stopped at Ellis Island, and the four teenagers hopped off to meet a very disgruntled Mr. Smith. School was going to be really boring for them from now on. They still had finals to deal with. And all that fun stuff. But that would be a piece of cake.

They quickly apologized to their teacher (Hallie not even remembering what they were apologizing for), and went inside.

The trip went by in a flash, and though they took many pictures, the trip they would remember most clearly was the one filled with battles, betrayals and sitcom worthy love lives. All jokes aside, the four of them knew that they wouldn't remember the trip because of the things that happened to them, but because of what they learned. On that particular trip, they'd learned a great deal about themselves. Who they were, who they are, and who they should be.

When the four of them arrived back in Colorado (they half-expected that they would be walking back to the Centennial State), they were greeted with hugs and kisses, and exclamations of, "Wow, I haven't seen you in a week and you got so tan! Are you sure you put on enough sunscreen? I don't want you to get skin cancer when you grow up."

They simply laughed and assured their parents that yes, they did indeed put on enough sunscreen (the fact that there hadn't been sunscreen went unsaid). Very slowly, they started to settle back into their lives, but bits and pieces of Middle Earth still clung to them (Hallie thanked her lucky stars that she'd been able to get control of her combat magic. She didn't know what she would have done if every time she sneezed, she blew a hole through the floor).

A couple weeks after summer started, Hallie informed her parents that she wanted to take fencing lessons. Aragorn had told her to practice, after all. Her parents were surprised, but they signed her up. The instructor had been greatly impressed when she had whizzed through the beginner, intermediate, and expert courses. She was then put into tournaments for an "extra challenge". Naturally, she won all of them. Aragorn would have been proud. Soon, the fencing trophies lined her walls. She spent countless hours doodling and drawing the Castle and various scenes from Middle Earth. Hallie also annoyed her parents with her sudden obsession with weapons and all things related to Middle Earth. So she decided to keep her drawings of Elyon and the Castle a secret. But late at night, when her parents were sleeping, she pored over maps of Middle Earth and its history, searching for any mention of the Castle. By the end of the summer, shelves full of trophies and accounts filled with more prize money, Hallie bowed out of the fencing competitions so she didn't draw too much attention to herself. She did, however, continue to practice at any open arena throughout the summer and into fall.

Liz's parents did catch sight of her tattoo one day during the summer, when she had been so caught up in chasing her brother around the pool that she forgot to keep the shadow-shield up. She told her parents that it was a temporary tattoo, and they let it go, since they didn't see it again after that. As for her brother, she was much more patient when dealing with his antics, and she always watched her words, because now she knew that life was short and anything could happen. She was also much more helpful around the house, because she had decided that she wasn't going to be a burden anymore. Liz discovered that her Lord of the Rings had become somewhat magical in her time in Middle Earth. The timeline rewrote itself so that they always knew what was going on. And so, even when her parents gave her a special edition, leather-bound copy, she returned it and got a Lord of the Rings charm bracelet. She spent a lot of time with her friends, and she and Hallie had plenty of adventures with her magical Lord of the Rings book (but that's a story for another time)...

Eddy finally and formally asked Iris out the day after his (second) sixteenth birthday in June, and survived the brutal interrogation process her parents put him through. In the meantime, he'd asked his parents for a bow. Keeping true to his promise to Legolas, he practiced frequently. Whenever he babysat his little sisters or other children to make some money, he thought of little Frodo Gamgee. He figured if he could get through that particular day, he could stand anything the kids threw at him. In between frequent trips and camps with his church and family, Eddy took Iris out on a grand total of thirteen dates, three of which were stalked by Hallie and Liz. Eddy also spent some time interning at an aerospace engineering firm. He was soon renowned around the office for his ability to spot the smallest mistakes in the blueprints. While Eddy was there, the planes built by the firm flew faster and were more fuel-efficient. By the time Eddy decided to end his internship to return to school, the firm had grown so attached to him that they allowed him to choose his own hours, if only he'd stay. He did. Eddy often thought of Haldir as the best friend he'd ever had. He wondered if Haldir had made it.

Iris joined the local candy-stripers after school ended. The hospital soon noticed that patients under Iris' care seemed to get better, on average, more quickly than other patients. She always brought home-cooked meals, and the patients adored her. She was known to talk to her patients while they were asleep, after which they always woke refreshed. She got quite attached to her patients, and when there were some she could not save, she always cried, wishing that Arwen could have been there to help, and Eddy held her as she did. Their parents were quite impressed with their devotion and care for each other. Speaking of Arwen, Iris was quite sad that she never got to say goodbye, but she held on to the hope that she would see her mentor again. And when Liz informed them one day, soon after they got home, that Arwen and Aragorn had a son, she was very happy for them.

And the tokens rested in their pockets like an unspoken promise.

**_The End... for now..._**

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**So... just a little heads up before you start tearing up because the Compass is over. First of all, it's not over. It's a trilogy, and we're currently working on the second installment, which will be up in about a month or so. (I wonder what it will be called!) In the meantime, look for other stories by me, Amarix, including some previously untold adventures from Liz and Hallie. Oh, and here are some ideas of what you can do while waiting for stories and such:**

**- start an Edwiris fanclub**

**- start a Haldir fanclub (this is more likely than Edwiris)**

**- review and give us ideas for some stories (i.e. where in LOTR you'd like to see Liz and Hallie- yes, I just gave it away, sorry; what you think they should do during a couple of our next stories and who you think they should meet). We'll try to get some of your ideas in the Untold Tales!**

**And that's all, folks! (At least for now!)**


End file.
